


Something from Nothing

by WinTTY



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Guilt, Romance, Smut, and you should probably read the story for the rest, then things happen, they go on a gay roadtrip after destroyin the bay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-10-13 14:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 118,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10515618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinTTY/pseuds/WinTTY
Summary: Max Caulfield, an 18 year old teenager, is forced to choose between sacrificing her best friend or a 1000 individuals she's never met, never spoken to. Her choice is clear. Yet - is it the right one? Max and Chloe try to sort out their lives, try to live again after the traumatic experience of that one week in October.





	1. All I Have Left Is You

 

Max and Chloe stood together on the cliffside, watching the tornado approach the coast - buildings and vehicles slowly starting to get sucked up into the swirling vortex from hundreds of metres away. Thunder broke out at regular intervals, striking at the coastline with fury - making way for the impending doom that descended onto Arcadia Bay.

Stepping forward slowly, Max felt as all her memories of the past week came flooding through her. Her rewinds, her decisions, her time with Chloe. She felt as the mix of emotions tugged and wrenched at her heart as she watched the tornado slowly lurching forward. She reached out towards it, feeling her hand fall limp halfway through her movement.

"This is my storm. I caused this… I caused all of this. I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything. All I really created was just death and destruction!" Max spoke loudly over the the wind and the rain, starting to gesture towards the tornado - pacing back and forth as she switched her gaze between the tornado and the punk.

"Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it... and you saved me." Chloe quickly replied as she approached the brunette, placing her hand on her shoulder, turning her towards herself. "It had to happen, all of this… except what happened to Rachel." Chloe dropped her hands as she continued, shooting a glance at the approaching doom - quickly looking back at Max. "Without your power, we wouldn't have found her! Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master but you're Maxine Caulfield…" She shot her hands forward again, grabbing the brunette's shoulders as she gave her a little shake - grabbing her gaze. "...and you're amazing."

Max stood there in silence, letting Chloe's words ring through her head as she processed it. She lowered her gaze slightly and looked back over towards the tornado, feeling herself get torn between the pooling feelings in her chest. Chloe looked over the girl as she began to gather her own thoughts, coming to the slow realisation of what had to happen. The thunder cut through the air as it crashed into the waves, lighting up the entire town for a split second.

"Max, this is the only way." Chloe began as she slowly dropped her gaze to her pocket, reaching inside - pulling out a polaroid of a Blue Morpho on a steel bucket. She lifted it up to Max, placing it in her palm.

"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago." Max slowly spoke as she looked down at the photo, taking a step back towards the storm. She focused herself on the photo, drowning herself in her own mind as she felt her thoughts race through her head. She heard the quiet droplets of water in the Blackwell sinks, the bustle outside the restroom door. She looked away. Chloe slowly approached the girl, standing beside her as she dropped her head.

"You… You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture…" Chloe began as the her train of thought started to come to a screeching stop. The realisation of it all hit her and it hit her _hard._ "All that would take is for me to… to…" She tried to continue but her voice was choked up in the back of her throat. She brought her hands up to her face as she began to weep quietly. Max shot her gaze at the bluenette.

"Fuck that! No… No way! You are my number one priority right now. You are all that matters to me." Max brought her hands up to the punk's forearms as she gripped onto her whilst she spoke. The thunder once again crashed into the waves, spilling light onto the two girl's faces as they looked at each other.

"I know. You proved that over and over again… even though I don't deserve it." Chloe stepped away slowly, her voice starting to break as she spoke. "I'm so selfish… not like my mom… Look what she had to give up and live through… and she did." Chloe continued as she shot her hands towards the town. "She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner." She shot her hands back towards her sides as she looked at Max. "Even my step… father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live… way more than me..."

"Don't say that… I won't trade you." Max tried to interrupt the punk.

"You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny…" Chloe shot back over the rumbling thunder. "Look at how many times I've almost died or actually died around you." She dropped her head as she continued, gesturing to the town again. "Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate… our fate…" Chloe stepped forward and placed her hand on Max's shoulder, turning the brunette towards her.

"Chloe…" Max replied. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Not now.

"Max, you finally came back to me this week, and… you did nothing but show me your love and friendship." Chloe continued as she held onto the brunette, her gaze town between Max and the approaching storm. "You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years." Her voice started to break again as the tears began to stream down her cheeks, covered by the pouring rain. Max kept her gaze on Chloe. "Wherever I end up after this… in whatever reality… all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours." Chloe brought the brunette closer, holding onto her. "No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."

"Chloe… I can't make this choice…" Max's face was lit up in pure white as the thunder struck closer to them, turning herself towards her best friend.

"No Max… you're the only one who can." Chloe moved both her hands up as she held Max by the shoulders, looking straight at her. The two girls kept their eyes as they saw the same emotions coursing through their minds - anger, guilt, sadness, love. Max heard her thoughts breaking through, screaming at her, telling her to make her decision as the two girls sat there - the torrential rain hiding both their tears.

"Max… it's time…" Chloe spoke as she took a few steps back, looking over the brunette.

"Chloe… I'm so, so sorry… I… I don't want to do this." Max replied as she looked at her friend. It was true. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to choose between sacrificing her best friend, somebody she deeply loved, and the town which she had grown up in - saving hundreds over people that she didn't even know. Chloe stepped back towards Max and flung her arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"I know Max. But we have to. We have to save everybody, okay?" Chloe spoke softly as she moved away from the embrace, holding the girl's hands with her own. "You'll make those fuckers pay for what they did to Rachel."

Max and Chloe stood there holding hands, the wind starting to pick up to dangerous speeds as the storm approached the town - only a hundred or so metres away. Max wanted it all to stop. She wanted to rewind as far back as she could, prevent herself from ever leaving Arcadia Bay. She wanted to live her teenage years with her best friend, in the town that she was born and grew up in. Her thoughts flooded with thousands of _if's_ and _could've been_ as she saw almost every reality clashing together. She saw herself with Chloe, holding hands during their first kiss at the lighthouse. She saw herself with Chloe, hanging out in American Rust and smoking pot together. She saw herself with Chloe, attending Blackwell during final's week. She saw herself with Chloe, graduating. Her heart dropped when she realised none of this could happen, not anymore. She wanted to freeze time, just like she did when Kate tried to kill herself. _Kate.._

"Being together this week… it was the best farewell gift I could've hoped for." Her voice broke completely as she looked at her best friend. The best friend that she spent her entire life with. The best friend that she had the best pirate adventures with. The best friend that comforted her and loved her when William died. The best friend who then abandoned her, against her will. The best friend who didn't contact her for 5 long years. The best friend who came back and saved her. The best friend who _loved_ her. Chloe spoke up, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the storm. "You're my hero, Max."

Max's heart broke apart. Every emotion she's been holding in for the week, every insecurity, every thought that had gathered up in her mind. It all came flooding out as the dam holding it back finally broke from the torment she had experienced. She didn't want to do anything. She did. She stepped forward and placed her hands on Chloe's cheeks, pulling her head towards her. They kissed. They both felt the warmth, their love of each other, wash over them, throwing them out of this reality as they were enshrouded in a world of their own. They ignored the pouring rain that was drowning them, ensuring every inch of their body was wet. They ignored the high winds, the various objects and items that were now being pulled apart around them - getting sucked into the swirling vortex. They ignored the vortex. The held the kiss as long as they could, cherishing it, keeping it alive. The slowly moved away as the world faded back in around them.

"I'll always love you… Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak." Chloe stepped back as she let go of Max's hands. She saw her tears streaming out of her glistening eyes. She felt her own washing over her face, now distinct from the rain as each streak left a burning trail. "...and Max Caulfield? Don't you forget about me…"

Chloe kept moving away slowly, pointing her hand at Max. Deep inside she hoped that Max would follow her. Deep inside she hoped that Max would grab her, never let her go. Deep inside she hoped that Max would escape this world with her. Max stood there as her heart was ripped out of her chest..

Max slowly turned around as she held the polaroid in her shaking hands. She looked over at the tornado, now earnestly descending onto the town. She thought about all the lives that would be suffering in agony right now. Joyce. David. Kate. Warren. Dana. Juliet. Victoria. Countless of others. She felt as the pain tugged at her now absent heart, simply coursing through her veins as they almost visibly pulsed. She thought about Chloe. She couldn't do this.

In one swift motion, Max ripped the photo in half - opening her hands slowly as the two pieces were picked up by the high wind. Getting sucked towards the vortex - the one that was slowly ripping its way through Arcadia Bay. She saw all the faces of the people she just sentenced to death. She heard their voices, their laughter, all of it echoing in her head. She saw each individual memory she shared with them, each individual conversation. She saw as their own memories coursed through hers. She had destroyed it all - it was her fault. She had snuffed out thousands of potential moments, thousands of potential memories and thoughts. All of it so she could be with Chloe. She was the selfish one.

Chloe stood there as she saw the two pieces float out of the brunettes hands. She felt all her emotions be replaced with one - relief. She wouldn't have to sacrifice herself for the town. She wouldn't have to forget the past week, every memory that she shared with Max. She wouldn't die lonely, thinking in the end about the Max that abandoned her. It was quickly replaced with guilt, anger, sadness. Max had just made a choice to sacrifice an entire town - hundreds of people - so that she could be with Chloe, the worthless punk trash that had made her own life a hell. The one that dropped out of school, the one that argued and bickered with her mother over the tiniest things, the one that ensured that her stepfather wouldn't feel loved in their home. Yet she couldn't dwell on it now - not after what Max just did. The girl needed her right now.

The punk stepped forward slowly towards the brunette, the girl now crying into her hands. She wrapped her arm around her, pulling her close as the girl quickly put her head in the punk's chest - sobbing wildly. She could hear each individual wail, each pained cry, over the rain and the storm. Chloe stood there as she looked over at the tornado destroying the town. The town that she so wanted to drop a bomb on, to burn down herself. The town that she hated for what it did to her. All of those thoughts no longer applied. In a few minutes, Arcadia Bay wouldn't exist. Chloe looked away as she couldn't take it anymore, instead placing her head in the brunette hair as the two girls stood there. They ignored the wind, the rain, the tornado devastating the town. They kept their embrace going as they now had each other, forever.

* * *

Chloe felt a wave of relief wash over her as she looked down the beach. Her old 1986 Ford F150 was still parked in its spot, not having been sucked into the tornado. She quickly picked up her pace with the crying brunette using her for support as she herself struggled to walk, making their way over to the passenger side. After a few seconds of fumbling with her keys, thanks to her shaking hands, she inserted the key and unlocked the door - swinging it wide open in front of the two girls. Chloe carefully helped Max step into the truck, placing her head slowly onto the headrest as the brunette kept crying. Chloe's heart was pricked painfully at the sight as she quickly moved away towards the bed of the pickup.

Moments of struggling and quiet swearing paid off - Chloe dropped the tailgate and jumped into the bed. Standing up slightly she walked over to the end and opened the small chest-like trunk built into the bed. She reached inside and pulled out a light brown blanket, one that she herself used many times when she was sleeping in her truck - away from her step-father, away from Joyce, away from her shitty life. Locking the trunk and slamming the tailgate up, Chloe hurried back to the passenger side as Max was still crying. She stepped inside slightly and over the brunette, unfurling the blanket and quickly placing it over the broken, crying girl. She leaned in a bit and brushed away her hair from her forehead - giving it a quick kiss and then stepping back out. Slamming the door shut, Chloe walked around the front quickly and entered the driver's seat herself, shooting a quick glance at Max.

The truck lurched backwards as Chloe reversed out of the parking lot, turning the truck around quickly and then jolting it forward towards the road. After a few minutes of driving down the winding road back to Arcadia, a small dirt road cropped up on the left. Chloe quickly turned the truck and followed the road for a few more minutes - coming upon a small clearing in the woods. The truck rumbled quietly and then went quiet, leaving only the loud wind whooshing outside and the quiet sobs that belonged to Max. Chloe looked down at her shaking hands on the steering wheel, gulping down hard as she quickly went over what happened in her head.

_Arcadia Bay. Destroyed. Max chose me over hundreds of others. Over Joyce. Over David. Over Kate. She chose me. Why? Why would she choose me.. Why the fuck would she choose me, this useless gutter-trash punk that dropped out of school. This gutter-trash punk that smoked pot to try and feel good, try to get away from the harsh reality of life. This gutter-trash punk that blamed everyone but herself for everything that went wrong. Why? I'm worthless compared to them. Yet she chose me..._

Chloe was taken out of her thoughts by the loud sobbing. She quickly looked at Max who broke out in a fresh wave of tears, lying still in the seat with the blanket over her. The punk reached over slowly and wrapped her arm around her, pulling the girl carefully towards her. Max didn't object - she simply allowed it to happen, she wasn't in a position to do anything but cry. Cry about what she did. Cry about all the people she sentenced to death. All so she could be with her best friend, somebody she _loved_. Max felt her head pressed against the chest of the brunette, resting on her bust - she felt as a hand began to slowly caress her arm to try and calm her down. She closed her eyes and sobbed, trying her best to focus on the beating heart against her head. She felt as each beat echoed through her, the rhythm starting to become calming. She did her best to drown everything out - listening to the beat as it soothed her. She felt herself forgetting slowly, feeling the looming slumber come over her.

The punk sat there as she held the brunette close, running her hand up and down along her arm. She heard as the sobs turned into whimpers, eventually dying out as it was replaced with quiet snoring. Chloe sat there in silence, broken up by the whooshing of the wind outside - slowly dying down itself. She lowered her gaze at the now sleeping brunette, seeing the glistening traces of tears on her cheeks. Her heart sank a bit as she got lost in her thoughts again.

_She..- She didn't deserve any of this. None of it. She's an 18 year old girl. A shy, socially awkward hipster. Why the fuck was she granted this power? So she could save me, her useless gutter-trash asshole punk friend? She didn't deserve it at all. She shouldn't have made that choice, she shouldn't have even been given that choice. It would've been better if I died a week ago, bleeding to death because of my own fucking stupidity. It's what I deserve. Max doesn't deserve this pain. This is so fu-fucked up!_

Chloe wanted to let all her anger out. She wanted to smash her hands against the steering wheel, time and time again - release all her pent up frustration at just how fucked up this situation was. Her best friend had to make a choice between somebody she loved and a thousand individuals that she barely knew. _The classic dilemma._ A choice that shouldn't have been given to this 18 year old girl. To any 18 year old girl. To anyone. Chloe simply sat there as she continued to caress the brunettes arm, keeping her gaze in front of the truck. She felt as her own eyelids began to feel heavy, all the emotional stress taking a toll on her. She did her best to keep them open as long as possible, wanting to be there for Max at all times. She didn't have time to sleep - not when Max needed her to be strong, needed her to carry her burdens for her.

Her body won, however. Chloe quietly fell asleep as her head slumped to her side - resting on the brunettes head. The two of them slept quietly as the storm around them died down.

* * *

Chloe stirred awake quickly, moving her head around and using her hand to clear her vision. She quickly took in as much as she could - she was sitting in her truck with Max still sleeping against her, the wind outside had died down as rays of sunshine began to peek through the canopy of the forest. The rain on the windows had dried up, leaving clear marks where it had made it's way down the glass. She let out a quiet yawn as she tried to slowly straighten herself up, carefully moving the brunette. After a few tries she managed to sit up, the snoring brunette now lying against her chest, undisturbed with the punk's movements.. Chloe let her thoughts take over for a while, trying to think about what happened and their next move.

_Okay. So. Fucked up choice. Arcadia Bay destroyed, probably a fuckload of casualties. Jesus Christ. Joy-.. Mom. I-.. fuck. I can't let myself get carried away with this shit. Not now. Not whilst we're still barely half-a-mile away from the ghost town that once was Arcadia. I need to get us out of here, out on the road. Towards Seattle. Max has to get to her parents. I'll..- take her there, then what? I don't have anywhere to go back to, not now that my house is more than likely in ruins. Shit._

"Chl-.. Chloee.." Max whimpered out as she herself stirred awake. She immediately felt her eyes sting as the tears began to flow again, her thoughts travelling back to the lighthouse and back to her choice. She had chosen to kill a thousand people so she could be with Chloe. She chose to destroy thousands of potential memories and dreams, just so she could have Chloe. She was selfish. She was extremely selfish, she hated herself for it. She began to sob as she let it all hit her, pound away at her mental state - starting to break it all apart.

The punk spent no time in showing the brunette she was here for her. She quickly wrapped her arms around the quietly sobbing girl and brought her up carefully closer to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She began to stroke her hand against her arm again, hoping to calm her down a bit - to a state where they could at least talk, to a state where Max could at least listen to Chloe. Max kept quietly sobbing against the bluenette's chest, her mind still pounding away. Chloe gave her another kiss on the forehead, beginning to hum quietly as she leaned in towards her ear - hoping to calm down the girl who carried the weight of the world. It worked. After a few more minutes of quiet humming and caressing, the brunette became silent as she kept her eyes closed. She focused on calming beat of Chloe's heart, occasionally broken up by the quiet humming in her ear and the soft touch on her arm.

"M-Max." Chloe quietly spoke as she began to lift up the brunette so she could sit up straight. She used one hand to cup her cheek, turning her head towards her as their eyes met in a gaze. Chloe felt as if a train hit her - Max's eyes were almost devoid of all emotion, showing a simple and empty husk of a girl that had once lived. "We-.. need to leave Arcadia. I'm going to get us out of here, okay?" Max kept silent as she let her eyes stare past Chloe's, into nothingness. She felt as the strong hands around her carefully shifted her into a comfortable position against the seat, adjusting the blanket so that it covered the girl. She sat there silent - gazing out the window.

The truck lurched forward out onto the road, starting to wind it's way down towards the town. Rays of light pierced through the trees as they became less dense. Eventually the first signs of the town came into view. It was bad. The first few buildings were almost non existent, boats and the beached whales having crushed them completely. Cars were upturned and scattered around the streets, a couple still burning quietly in the morning light, a few of them already completely charred. Chloe kept her gaze forward on the road, avoiding debris as it came up. It didn't get any better. The buildings closer to the town had entire walls and roofs completely missing, torn away violently as they exposed the interiors - scattering different appliances, items and various furniture all over the road. The beached whales had been tossed and turned into the town, blocking certain roads and completely cutting off others. _It was bad._

Slowly drifting its way down the debris covered road, the 1986 Ford F150 rolled to a stop near a small parking lot. Chloe raised her head slightly as she prepared for the worst. It was exactly like she thought. The Two Whales diner had collapsed almost completely - the roof caved in by what she recognised as Frank's RV. The windows were all broken into thousands of pieces as the jagged edges reflected the sun slightly. Chloe broke down a bit, sniffling as she ran her hand over her nose quickly. She looked away and tapped the pedal, jolting the truck down the road again. Max had kept her silent gaze out her window, devoid of all feeling. She saw as the destroyed scenery drifted past, the up-turned and scattered cars, the billboards and signs. She didn't think anything about it. She was lost.

Chloe kept her foot on the pedal lightly as they continued through the streets. Everything was the same, no matter where they went. Arcadia Bay was well and truly destroyed by the freak superstorm, the one that Max was positively sure was caused by her powers. The one that Chloe was positively sure was caused because she tempted and escaped fate time and time again, avoiding her destiny. Her thoughts drifted for a second but she shook them off. _Not now._ She saw as the road was slowly coming to an end, the buildings on either side were in the same state as the rest of the town - ripped apart and completely flattened in some places. Chloe carefully lifted her foot off the pedal as the truck slowed to a quiet stop near the end. Chloe looked over at Max for a second and felt the instant pain in her heart again - the girl was sat silently the entire time, her eyes gazing forward in the thousand yard stare.

The punk reached her hand towards the radio and turned it on, fumbling around with the dials as she tried to find a station - something to fill the eerie silence in the truck cabin. She heard static for most of the time, feeling as the anger built up - something so minor as not being able to find a radio station made her come close to making her burst. She let a bit of it out, hoping that it would stop the leak - hitting the radio a few times with her palm in frustration. Max didn't move at all - her gaze still focusing on nothing. The silence was broken by the sound of a quiet guitar riff playing in unison with a drum beat.

 **_** ...Out of love, out of time_ **  
**_When I'm falling down you're the one who saved me_ **  
**_Oh, intertwined, wrap around me now with your thorns... **_ **

Chloe let a smirk form on her face as she recognised the song. **The Offspring - All I Have Left is You.** _How appropriate world, s_ he thought quietly for a few seconds as she let the music sink into her, feeling the slight tension and frustration built up in her ease up a bit. Chloe bit her lip as her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel again, one hand on the clutch. She slowly switched her gaze towards the brunette sitting quietly against the window, still staring at nothing. Chloe extended her hand from the clutch and placed it on the brunette's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. She stirred slightly as her own head turned to look at the punk sitting next to her.

This was the girl that Max had saved. The one that Max had reversed time for. The one that Max had travelled through alternate realities for. The one that Max bent the very fabric of time and probably space to save. The one that Max faced her worst nightmares for. The one that Max had overcome her insecurities for. The one that Max _loved_. She was here, with her, even when everything else around them was gone. Chloe let a smile work up on her face as she looked at Max. Max felt her heart start beating again, felt it picking her up again. She smiled back weakly.

The truck lurched forward slightly as Chloe began to drive. She switched her gaze back to the road, only one thing on her mind right now. Get Max out of Arcadia, away from the place that destroyed both their lives in its own cruel ways. The ending riffs of the song echoed through the cabin as the truck drove on down the road.

 **_** ...And we're holding on when_ **  
**_There's nothing left to hold on to_ **  
**_So don't tell me when it's gone_ **  
**_Cause' all I have left is you...**_**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, whats up.
> 
> This fic is a port from FF.net, a 'backup' of sorts if my account ever gets suspended, my works deleted with no backups etc. The original story had quite a lengthy authors note at the end and I chose not to copy+paste it because it was far too big - I'll simply paraphrase everything below.
> 
> Something from Nothing is my first published fic, following Max and Chloe through their life as they deal with everything that they had experienced during their week in October. There's going to be a bit of everything - boring everyday life stuff, lots of fluff, some smutt, drama and angst, guilt tripping and who knows what else. With that said, the story is already at around 130,000 words strong, with only 100,000 or so of that published so far and plenty more to come.
> 
> Enjoy, comment and whatever else to your hearts content if you wish.
> 
>  _EDIT 09-10-17:_ Hiya! If you've read above, then I encourage you to read this. As of today, I'm reformatting and rewriting huge parts of this work in order for them to fit with my now changed writing style. This story was abandoned for about 5-6 months and since then I've learned a lot, also improved a lot and all that jazz. So if the beginning chapters look wonky or perhaps bad, I urge that you wait a bit whilst I go about and improve everything! Thank you! If you want to pass anyway, then thanks for coming by at least!
> 
> \- :) WinTTY


	2. Gotta Get Away

The truck slowly switched lanes as it powered along the highway. After another pedal press, it jolted forward a bit and began to overtake the black SUV alongside. A few seconds later, it merged back into the right lane as it picked up speed. The radio quietly played and filled the cabin with a slightly soothing atmosphere - drowning out the thoughts of either of the girls sat inside.

Chloe kept her eyes on the road as she periodically switched gears, keeping the pedal pressed down. Shooting a quick glance in the rear-view mirror she saw as the black SUV started to slowly fade away with each passing second, signalling the punk to ease up on the pedal a bit. She looked back over to her right, towards the brunette girl that was wrapped around in a blanket as she gazed out the window. Her eyes weren't frozen anymore, staring at nothing as they had but a few hours ago, instead following the scenery as it came and went by the truck at some speed. Chloe kept silent as she turned her eyes back to the road and watched a few cars begin to merge from an on ramp - instinctively slowing down to let a few in front of the truck.

After a while the bluenette punk reached over to the small shelf below the radio, moving her hand about a bit as she tried to track down her phone. Her grip tightened around the old smartphone and she pulled it up, tapping away at the screen as it lit up. **7:47PM.** She let out a quiet sigh as a wave of fatigue washed over her, following it up with a yawn. Max stirred next to her when she heard the yawn, shooting a glance at the punk quickly with a blank expression. Chloe raised her gaze back up to the road as she didn't notice the brunette moving, focusing herself on driving the truck. She saw the oncoming headlights on the opposite side of the road, switching between long beams and short beams as the Ford itself approached.

"Chloe..- Pull over. You need to sleep." Max croaked out, her voice meek and quiet. Her sore throat could no longer take the constant abuse as it punished the girl, shots of pain working their way up when each word rang out in the quiet cabin. She'd been crying to herself for the better part of the day, trying to not linger on the thought of everyone she sacrificed, everyone she killed. It only made her cry louder. Chloe jolted up in her seat as she heard Max and then looked over.

"Don't worry. I got a few hours left in me." Chloe spoke back as she looked over the brunettes blank expression, the punk holding the best smile she could muster given the situation. She saw the signs coming up in her peripheral vision as her smile turned to a grin, lifting her hand off the clutch as she nudged the girl slightly. "Besides, take a look. We're only a few hours away at best."

Max's face scrunched up in confusion, tilting her head towards the windscreen and looking at the signs with her own eyes. Her stomach completely turned over as she saw the writing, prompting her to quickly sit up in panic. She didn't want to go there, not after everything she did, after everything that happened. Not yet, at least.

_'WASHINGTON STATE WELCOMES YOU! CAPITAL - SEATTLE.'_

"Stop. Pull over." Max quickly croaked out again, trying to ignore the pain in her throat. Her body trembled under the blanket a bit as she tried to calm down, tried to stay level-headed whilst talking to Chloe. Her guilt made its sickening way up her chest, threatening the well being of the girl.

"What? I told you-.." Chloe began but was interrupted.

"I said pull over the damn truck!" Max heard herself shouting at the punk, followed up by a shot of pain in her throat. Guilt was bearing down on her now - the feeling bubbling up in her stomach, sickly twisting and turning inside. Chloe winced at Max and then switched her gaze back to the road quickly. She eased up on the pedal as she saw an oncoming off ramp into a forested parking lot. After a few moments, the truck turned into the off ramp and made its way down towards the completely empty parking lot. Slowly it rumbled to a stop in a space, filling the cabin with silence. Max threw the blanket off herself as she felt sick, opening the door and jumping out quickly.

Chloe shot out the other side as she heard the brunette begin to vomit behind the truck. She quickly ran over to her and placed her hand on her back, giving it a rub as Max vomited out an array of liquids - mostly stomach acid - as neither girl had eaten since the day before. Max's throat burned at the sensation as she felt the queasy onset of nausea in her head, spitting out the last few remains of whatever she threw up, her hand running over her mouth to try and wipe away the bile. Chloe was looking down at the girl with a worried expression, still rubbing her back as the brunette came up.

"I-.. Are you okay?" Chloe asked quietly as she stepped in front of the girl, bending down on her knees slightly so she could look up at her face from below. Max kept her eyes closed as she tried her best to breathe in deep, fighting the nausea, the wooziness that built up. Eventually she let out a half sigh and half whimper. She felt two arms quickly wrap around her and pull her into a hug as she began to cry for the millionth time today. Chloe quickly lowered the girls head to chest as her sobs became muffled. The two girls stood there for a few minutes whilst Max cried, the punk staying silent the entire time - letting the smaller girl let it all out in the safety of her embrace.

"I-.. I-.. don't w-wanna g-go to Sea-..Seattle." Max eventually let out a hoarse whisper through her quiet sobbing. Chloe gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the head, rubbing her hand over the brunette's back. "N-Not…- a-after e-everything…"

"W-Why not?" Chloe asked and listened closely, intent on calming the brunette by hearing her out. Max's breath hitched as she tried to catch some air, the punk responding with a light pat on her back to help her. Another quiet sob was muffled by the punks tank-top. "Shh. It's alright - tell me."

"I-I c-can't f-face them...- N-Not after y-yesterday..." Max continued quietly, her voice barely audible over the sound of distant cars passing by. Chloe understood, but at the same time she didn't want Max to take the wrong decision, to let the stress and the emotions choose for her. She knew that the brunette wanted to be with her parents - even if she said otherwise. At least Chloe hoped that was the issue. "N-Not now. P-Please..-"

"Max, it's o-okay. You'll get to your parents, they'll help y-you get back on your feet. You need t-them right now - they love you and they're probably tearing their hair out over this fu-... shit." Chloe began speaking as she was broken up by a nervous stammer, the girl mentally kicking herself for letting it happen, her hand slowly rubbing Max's back. The brunette almost instantly noticed the absence of 'me', 'we' and 'us' in Chloe's statement. Her heart thumped loudly as she moved away - her eyes glaring at Chloe who stood silently, almost surprised. _Almost_ \- the punk realised her mistake before Max even spoke.

"W-What a-about y-... you? Chloe, what are you p-planning...?" Max raised her voice, the anger starting to spill out in her broken voice, needles of pain working their way through her throat. Chloe winced a bit as she brought a hand to her own arm, beginning to squeeze her own bicep to keep herself grounded. She didn't know how to explain this to Max.

"I'll... I'll let you stay with your parents. Max, I-... I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have over this past week...-" Chloe replied quietly as she kept her gaze on the floor. Her brain was torn between two different mindsets as they battled it out in a great clash, the punk taking the approach that had been lingering on her mind for the past few hours since the tempest. "I'll leave."

"You'll.. Chloe-.. After _everything_ we've been through..- you're just gonna up and _FUCKING LEAVE_?!" Max ignored the pain in her throat as she shouted, instead keeping her focus on the punk in front of her. Her stammer disappeared as it was drowned out in the wave of anger - her body ignoring her need to cry, opting to instead vent out in the moment. The flutter of bird wings echoed out from the woods around them, Max's shouting obviously disturbing the wildlife. "After all the shit that I've done to keep _YOU_ alive?! You're going to _ABANDON_ me?" Max couldn't believe this.

"I-.. M-Max... don't speak like that… please." Chloe whispered quietly but loudly enough for the brunette to hear. It only angered her more.

"In case you haven't noticed, I sacrificed an _entire fucking TOWN_ for _YOU_! Hundreds of people with-.. with a fucking _FUTURE_. Families! I fuck-.. fucking killed them all! For _YOU_! ..because…" Max was shouting even though her throat had burst into flames with pain. The memories of it all were brought up again, her already battered mind taking the hits again and again. She felt as the tears flowed down her cheeks, each one following its own unique path to her mouth, chin and jawline. "...because I-I love you, Chlo-.."

Chloe felt as if a fully loaded truck hit her, almost visibly noticing how her heart was torn out of her chest in the moment she heard the words. She looked at the crying brunette as the girl threw her face into her hands, turning away from the punk and beginning to sob in heart-wrenching pain. The punk lowered her gaze even more, feeling the sudden guilt envelop her chest. Max ripped apart her own world for Chloe, and Chloe was simply going to leave her the moment Max was safe with her parents. She felt the wave of mixed emotions wash over her entire body, drowning her as she struggled to breathe under the tide. She told Max that she would _leave_ her, after Max chose _her_ over a thousand other lives, after Max made a choice so _fucked up_ that her psyche would be forever damaged. Here they were, less than a day later, Chloe already fucking it all up again. She hurt her. Her mindset began to shift at the sight of the crying brunette.

"I-.. I-I'm sorry, Max. I can't.." Chloe started to shift as she turned around, wanting to walk around the truck. As much as she wanted to be strong, this was a whole other level of difficulty for her. She needed time to think, needed time to ponder over her own words - she needed to get herself straight before continuing the conversation, allow her mind to finally decide. Chloe shuffled herself away from the crying brunette, standing a few feet away as she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and took one out with trembling hands - lighting it quickly with her zippo and taking a drag. The smoke lingered in the air around her as she closed her eyes, the bitter taste prevalent in her mouth acting as a distraction.

"D-Don't... l-leave… p-please." Max quietly spoke in a hoarse voice, pulling her face out of her hands. Chloe took another drag as she let the words hit her, taking the time to listen to her own thoughts afterwards - periodically broken up by the crying.

_She tore apart the fabric of time over and over to save me, so I could be with her. She saved my dumb ass so many fucking times over the past week, then she chose my worthless ass over a thousand other lives. Why the fuck would I even think of leaving her… Brain, are you really this doped up on my years of fuckery? Jesus. This is a one sided road, why the hell did I even bother thinking otherwise? I didn't even think of what Max would do if I left her after everything. It would break her, push her beyond the brink - this is already too fucking much for her at this point, this early after the storm. This girl loves me. I love her back. I hella love her._

Chloe spun around on her heels and walked over to Max with a determined pace, dropping her unfinished cigarette haphazardly and holding her arms out - wrapping them around the brunette. She gave her a loving squeeze as she herself began to weep quietly, placing her head on the brunettes own. Max had wrapped her own hands around Chloe as they both cried, sharing the moment together. They were both sorry. Chloe more-so than Max. They stood there and cried for a few minutes, not wanting to talk - simply hugging, holding each other and letting themselves gather their own thoughts. Eventually Chloe broke the silence.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry. I didn't mean it. None of it. I'm-.. _stupid_ for even thinking about it. You turned the entire fucking world upside down for me, yet here I was about to fu-fucking abandon you. Never, Max. Never will my stupid ass-..." Chloe began quietly but was interrupted.

"D-Don't say that. Don't EVER say that. You're n-not stupid. I-I love you, Chloe. Please-... don't leave me." Max spoke over Chloe with her hoarse voice as best as she could, keeping her arms around the punk. She didn't want her best friend to ever say she was stupid, to ever shoot herself down like that - she wasn't going to allow that to happen. Chloe sniffled quietly and ran her hands over her nose and eyes, nodding firmly afterwards.

"I-I love you too. I'm never leaving you. Never." Chloe whispered as she held onto the brunette. She felt the explosion of feelings in her chest, all of them fighting each other for priority - trying to get Chloe to deal with them first. Anger, Sadness, Guilt, Regret, Love. Love prevailed. The warmth embraced her heart as it began to beat faster. Chloe understood and she hugged the girl tighter, sniffling again. Those 3 little words - _I love you_. It began innocently, something between two friends, two best friends. Right now it meant a whole lot more than a simple gesture of friendship - it was a commitment and it rang completely true from both the girls. They loved each other. The two hugged in the parking lot for minutes once again, relishing the warmth of the embrace as they did their best to forget about the bad things that happened in the past few days - the storm, the week, Max's constant rewinding after witnessing Chloe get hurt or worse. Everything that's happened was replaced with the here and now. Speaking of the here and now, the cold night air began to quietly blow onto Max and Chloe as it sent shivers down their spine.

"C-Chloe.. I'm so tired… of all this shit. It's so, so fu-fucked up. I…- killed an entire fucking town. All of them. So many people..- Kate. Warren. Joy-.." Max began to speak quietly, her voice muffled against Chloe's chest, before the punk spoke over her.

"D-Don't. Max, stop. Don't t-think about it. Don't think about it, at all. Y-You didn't kill them, its was that fu-fucking storm. Not you." Chloe spoke with a stern tone as she pulled the brunette closer to her, her stammer still breaking out in a few places. "Don't ever think about it. You were forced to choose between-.. Arcadia and somebody-.. you love. Nobody should have to make that decision." She continued as she squeezed the brunette. "I-.. thank you. Thank you for choosing me, Max."

"Chlo-... I'll always choose you. I-.. just wanna get away. Away from it all - forget everything." Max let out a hoarse whisper as she lifted her head off Chloe's chest, looking at her. "Please… take us away. Away from Arcadia. Seattle. Away from all t-this."

"Max..- what about Ryan and Vanessa? You should at least say something, show yourself or call..-" Chloe spoke as she looked down at the brunette. The bluenette knew that Max loved her parents, even after their decision to leave Arcadia all those years ago - this was only the nerves, the stress, talking. At least she hoped it was.

"Chlo, I c-can't deal with t-talking to them, n-nevermind f-facing them right now. Fuck everything for n-now - I want to j-just leave a-and relax, forget a-all of it." Max finished as she kept her eyes locked with Chloe's. The two girls stood there for a second, reading the emotion in each others eyes. Max had no idea what the hell she was saying, what her brain was even thinking. She didn't admittedly care enough right now about any of it - she was completely and utterly lost in the presence of the girl holding her. "Please. Take us away."

Chloe let her thoughts gather around for a few seconds as she tried to sort it all out. It took her a moment to make her decision, even if it was a monumental one. _Price, this is the big one. All those years you spent saying you were going to haul ass out of that hicktown, all those years you kept saying you'd travel down to Big Sur and beyond. Take the damn chance! Max will tell you when she's ready to head to Seattle._

She heard her thoughts, the simple things clouding her better judgement - Chloe nodded firmly and then pulled the girl into a hug again. Max quietly sobbed tears of mixed emotion as she let her head fall back into the punk's chest. She felt relieved that Chloe was here, helping her deal with this. She felt angry at the world for forcing her to choose. She felt guilt for all the lives that she put an abrupt end to, all the dreams and desires of nearly a thousand unique individuals. She felt sadness at the fact that she'd be leaving behind her parents - she loved them and would miss them more than anything, but she needed this break. She felt love and happiness - Chloe was here after all those retries, all the rewinds, and she was here to stay with her forever. She hoped, at least.

"Let's go. It's getting cold and I'm hungry, tired too." Chloe eventually spoke up as she moved out of the embrace, looking down at the brunette - letting a smile form on her face. "Tomorrow we're heading out on a roadtrip - the world is our oyster girl." Max nodded quietly and looked up at the punk - her eyes full of hope. Chloe smiled even wider as she saw the deep blue orbs draining of all other emotions, focusing on the hope that tomorrow would be a better day, the hope that their life now would just improve ever onward. Chloe hoped herself that it was going to be true, it was the least she could ask for after living such a shitty life up to this point.

The truck quietly rolled out of the parking lot, merging back into the highway lane smoothly. The roads were quiet at this time of night, especially in the middle of nowhere on the Washington state border. The sound of tires against the asphalt filled the quiet cabin, breaking up the eerie silence as it acted like a white noise to the two girls.

* * *

Chloe kept one hand hand on the wheel, gripping it so tight that her knuckles were turning white - her other resting on the clutch lazily. She felt her eyelids feeling heavy the further she drove on, but she distracted herself by allowing her eyes to dart around the different scenery alongside the road. She occasionally shot glances at Max sitting beside her, leaning against the window as she was lost in thought. The brunette was already looking better than in the morning - perhaps it was because she was doing her best to forget about the past few days. Perhaps it was because Chloe was there. Perhaps it was because she was thinking over their plans for the getaway, together, away from everything that happened. Chloe didn't care for the reason, she smiled as she saw the brunette doing something other than crying and beating herself up about her decision. Her gaze shot back towards the road.

Max heard Chloe shuffling next to her, trying to get comfortable as sitting around for nearly 12 hours was taking its toll on her body. The brunette kept her eyes focused on the scenery, barely taking note as she thought about the talk in the parking lot. She was relieved mostly - Chloe's word's had eased her mind a lot. She tried her best to ignore the potential victims of the storm, her old friends and Chloe's family, instead keeping herself occupied on anything and everything that wasn't associated with the past week. Tomorrow they'd hopefully be waking up in a motel somewhere, the first day in their trip together as they got rid of their past baggage for the short while. Where would they go? Neither Chloe nor Max had ever gone beyond the West Coast, yet it didn't seem _right_ going anywhere further. Not whilst Max's parents were still unaware of her condition, whether she was safe or not. Her heart let out its own cry of agony as it tried to convince the girl to at least call - at least tell them something. She repressed it. A loud yawn beside her snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Chloe, find a damn motel. I don't want to wake up in a fucking ditch tomorrow. I'm hungry too…" Max looked at Chloe with a concerned expression and as if on cue her stomach rumbled when she finished her sentence. Chloe turned her head from the road and smiled, nodding. Her heart skipped a beat at the concern in the brunette's voice, the look she was received from her - Max cared.

"Alright. There's a small town coming up... Morton...? I think. I'll swing by a drive-thru first." Chloe spoke as she focused her gaze back on the road, switching gears. She let her hand linger a bit on the clutch and then moved it over to Max - grabbing her own limp hand and intertwining their fingers lazily. It made the punk feel content and complete - they never held hands like that before, yet it felt like second nature the moment she did it. "I love you." The three words slipped out of her lips, now coming easily to the once hard-ass punk Chloe Price - her exterior merely a shell that was dropped the moment Max was with her and alone.

"Mm. I love you too." Max spoke back as she squeezed Chloe's hand, smiling at her for a few seconds. Max watched as Chloe shifted the wheel around slowly from time to time to keep them on the straight road. She kept smiling as she looked her over, taking her all in. They were together - no more time travelling bullshit and storm to keep them apart ever again. She gave her hand another squeeze and got one in return, the confirmation of it all being real.

The truck slowly came to a stop outside a 24/7 fast food place in the small town beside the highway. Chloe quickly unbuckled her seat-belt and relented her hold on Max's hand, much to the younger girls dismay - reaching over to the glove-box and rummaging around inside. She pulled out a thick brown envelope with ' _HANDICAPPED FUND_ ' written on it in red marker. Max looked it over as she remembered where they got it from - Ray Wells' office. Max thought about what the money was for, Chloe's intentions to pay off Frank's debt. Her stomach lurched over as she remembered the alternate timeline where Frank died in the diner. Perhaps it rang true in the current timeline too. She quickly dropped her gaze and tried to shake off the old memories again, the thoughts of Arcadia in ruins. This would become harder and harder the further they went on, she knew that, but she didn't want to deal with any of this right now. Chloe slipped her hand inside the envelope and grabbed a few bills, the crinkling distracting the brunette sitting quietly.

"Whaddya want? I'll grab myself a cheeseburger and some fries - you?" The punk looked over at the brunette as she was still leaning over near her, putting the envelope back in the glove-box and slamming it shut. Max looked back up from her thoughts and smiled.

"Anything. Seriously, I'll eat whatever." Max replied as she kept her smile, curling up her legs beneath her as she sat up slightly. She wasn't lying - neither of them had eaten since yesterday and it was nearly midnight by now, her body was definitely feeling malnourished at the moment. Chloe nodded and began to move over towards her door before Max quickly grabbed her hand, keeping her back. "Please be quick…"

Chloe giggled and nodded, opening the door and jumping out of the truck as Max let go of her hand. She watched as the bluenette made her way towards the small building and disappeared inside after a few seconds. The brunette sat in relative silence and then reached over to the radio, playing around with the dials until a quiet song filled the silent cabin. She sat back and placed her elbow against the rim of the truck window, leaning her head on it.

 **_** ...Sitting on the bed_ **  
**_Or lying wide awake_ **  
**_There's demons in my head_ **  
**_And it's more than I can take_ **

**_I think I'm on a roll_ **  
**_But I think it's kinda weak_ **  
**_Saying all I know is_ **  
**_I gotta get away from me... **_ **


	3. Next To You

Chloe quickly made her way out through the dingy double-doors as she held the key in her hand. Pocketing the leftover cash in her leather jacket, she shoved her hands into her jean pockets afterwards and kept them there - hoping to keep the warmth for as long as she could. The night air was enveloping the girl as she walked, the cold creating a visible trail of breath every time her lungs worked their natural rhythm. The punk let her gaze wander up as she looked over at the parked Ford F150. Chloe let a wide smile form on her face as she saw the brunette leaning against it and stuffing her face with fries.

"Hey. Got us a room. Come on." Chloe spoke as she took her hands out of her pockets and held one of them out towards Max. The brunette spun on her heels and reached over into the bed of the truck, grabbing the large paper bag that contained the rest of their food and the $5000. _Money in paper bags. It's like we're in a crime related Netflix show or something._ Max giggled to herself as she took Chloe's hand and quickly intertwined their fingers - starting to walk towards the main motel complex. The brunette had already begun to forget all about what had happened - she told herself that from now on she has to live in the here and now, not dwell on the past. Especially a past where she was forced into choosing to let a freak superstorm wipe out an entire town, or to travel back in time and let her best friend - the love of her life - die in a school restroom as she looked on, helpless. Her gaze rested on Chloe as they walked slowly, the punk turning her head and looking back, smiling wide and giving Max's hand a squeeze.

With a swift motion, Chloe unlocked their motel room and stepped inside with Max in tow, quickly locking the doors behind them. She turned around as she saw that Max had already made her way to the bed, sitting down on it cross legged and inspecting the room on her own. Chloe noticed the cheap furniture, the small CRT TV and the tacky wallpaper as the most distinct features of their room. She only paid $50 for the motel, so she couldn't complain - she wasn't expecting a five-star hotel service with her own personal spa and servants - _butlers_. Slowly she made her way over to the door at the far side of the room and opened it, flicking the light switch on as she inspected their bathroom. A bath and shower combo, a small sink with a mirror and a toilet. There were some fresh towels laid out on the edge of the tub, along with some cheap toiletries and various other cleaning products. She scrunched her nose when she realised that neither her nor Max had any supplies to begin with.

Max watched as Chloe inspected the bathroom and then made her way back over to the bed. The punk sat down opposite Max and reached for the paper bag in between, opening it up and peering inside to get a pick at her food - eventually taking out her double cheeseburger and some fries. Max kept watching Chloe go through her motions, watching her every movement with focus as she wanted to take her all in. She still couldn't believe that they'd hopefully be together for the rest of their lives, after everything they went through, after everything that Max endured to ensure it would happen. She felt good - almost giddy to start her life with Chloe. Then she realised. What were they?

"Uhm-.. Chloe..?" Max spoke up quietly as she looked at the punk eating. Chloe quickly bit down her burger and chewed it, swallowing and then looking up at the brunette, waiting for her to continue. "What..- What are we?" The taller girl froze in her place as she heard Max, her voice making the question sound so blunt and sudden. Chloe grinned wide after a moment, her wit went going to work in hopes of easing the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the question.

"Humans, Max. We're humans. Homo-sapiens? God, I knew you sucked at biology bu-... HEY!" Chloe protested mid-sentence as she saw the brunette reaching over to her fries and stealing a couple, shovelling the sticks into her mouth immediately. "Those are mine! No touch, Caulfield."

"This is tax for being a Dork." Max stuck her tongue out after swallowing and saw Chloe wiggle her eyebrows suggestively, her hands on her hips. Max felt the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks, her heart skipping a beat and her emotions exploding all over - the punk had succeeded in embarrassing the brunette with the simple suggestion.

"Don't stick that out unless you're gonna use it...-" Chloe grinned wide as she saw the flustered girl sitting in front of her. She broke out into a fit of giggles and received a light shove as Max eventually came back from her daze.

"You are _such_ a perv!" The brunette exclaimed and elicited a loud laugh from the punk. Max joined in shortly afterwards, the two girls still sitting cross legged on the bed - the only sound in the room being their giggles which were periodically broken by the sound of car outside. Things calmed down after a minute of quiet laughter, the tension no longer present around the question. Max once again asked. "So...- What are we then...?"

"Wellll... We never really had time to think about it, right? This thing, the love between us - it's real, right? I mean, I'm over the fucking moon with you - jussayin'." Chloe smiled wide, her eyebrows furrowing for a moment as she wasn't quite sure what they really were either. Best friends with benefits? Lovers? Girlfriends? Max had turned the world upside down to save Chloe because she loved her - that had to make their relationship special in some way, bond forged in the flames or whatever. Chloe bit down on her burger again as she began to think.

"I k-know. I told you I love you, right? You told me that you love me too. We kinda both agreed in a spur of the moment decision that we'd go on this trip together, away from everything for now. Uhm." Max began as she reached into the paper bag and took out her own fries that she was eating outside. She munched a few down and swallowed. "We never really said what we'd spend that time as. I-... just wanted to know."

"Webb… dy wann go ut wib mehb?" Chloe spoke with her mouth full, trying to ask her question. Max giggled quietly and kept staring at Chloe whilst she quickly chewed and swallowed. "Do you wanna go out with me, Caulfield?"

"Yes!" Max squeaked out excitedly as she shuffled up and down in her seat, grinning widely. Chloe giggled and then bit down on her burger again as she continued eating. Max let herself fall back in the bed, using her elbows for support as she looked up at the whitewashed ceiling dreamily.

"So, that makes us a couple. That answer your question good enough?" Chloe said as she finished her double cheeseburger and wiped her greasy hands on the small paper tissue. Max nodded a few times as she bit her lip, looking down from her small daze. Her heart fluttered a bit at the thought of it all. _Wowser. Me and Chloe - girlfriends._ Her lips formed a grin as a thought came to her head, her eyes focusing on the bluenette.

"Chloeeee..?" Max held the word a bit as began to move up slowly.

"Yeesss...?" Chloe replied in a similar manner, her head moving over towards the brunette as their eyes met. The punk knew where this was going.

"Now that we're gi-... girlfriends...-" Max moved forward more, arching her back up as she got up from her elbows. Chloe watched as the brunette slowly crawled on her knees towards her, her eyes constantly locked with the punks. Max's face rested a few inches away from Chloe's by the end of her crawl, their hearts beating hard against their chests. "Do you mind if I steal a kiss...?"

"Kiss...? I don't know... maaaaaaaybe?" Chloe played along with Max's game, moving a few inches herself as her forehead began touching the brunettes.

Max took the chance and dove in, pecking the girl on her own lips. Chaste yet loving. Chloe smiled wide and puckered her lips a bit, asking for more. Max obliged and began to pepper her lips with kisses, each one being held longer than the last. Neither girl complained nor spoke a word as they shared this simple yet loving moment. The brunette brought her hands up to the punk's cheeks and shifted her head around, her lips giving soft kisses all over - cheeks, forehead, temples, jawline and more. No place was safe from Max Caulfield's flurry of kisses. The two of them continued for another minute, their hearts lightened significantly, no longer carrying emotional burdens of the past week. They were free in this moment - not a care in the world.

"I thought you said _a kiss_ , not a barrage." The punk pointed out as her forehead rested against Max's again. The smaller girl smiled wide, her expression beaming an aura of happiness. Chloe returned the smile and didn't move from her place - neither of them did. The sound of a car parking outside broke them out of their moment, minutes having passed in silence as the two girls simply looked at each other.

Max pecked Chloe on the lips and the nose, her body shifted up in her place and sat down on the edge of the bed. The brunette heard the punk pouting and giggled, standing up and shuffling over towards the bathroom after a moment of hesitation.

"Gonna take a shower. No peeking!" Max leaned forward on the door frame of the bathroom as she spoke, looking at the punk eating fries on the bed. Chloe winked and then nodded, waving the brunette goodbye. The room was suddenly drowned out in silence.

Chloe shifted in the bed and then grabbed a remote from the nightstand, quickly turning the TV on as she browsed the channels. She found a few news channels, a few music channels, a rather saucy adult channel and finally a 24/7 cartoon channel. She chuckled and snickered quietly as she ate her fries whilst watching the cartoons - she couldn't care less if they were designed for kids or not, she liked them. After a while she realised that the shower had been going in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, shifting her gaze over at the door that led inside. She blushed a bit as she thought at the thought of her now best-friend-turned-girlfriend naked, biting her lip down a bit too hard. Chloe resumed watching cartoons after clearing her thoughts.

After a few more minutes Max had left the bathroom, holding her now slightly wet clothes in one hand as she closed the door behind her. She approached the radiator in one corner of the room and laid out her only pair of clothes out neatly - hoping that they'd get dry by tomorrow morning. She brought her hands up to her wet hair as she quickly pulled it behind her ears, getting lost in the moment for a few seconds as she stood there in only her towel. Then she realised that Chloe had been watching her the entire time.

Chloe felt a blush work up her cheeks instantly as the brunette slowly turned towards her, an awkward smile resting on her face. The punk couldn't take her eyes of the brunettes figure, letting it sink in and then realising that she's naked underneath the towel - only contributing to her already beet red cheeks. After a few more seconds of gaping and an uncomfortable silence in the room, Chloe was shot back to her senses as she quickly looked down at the ground. Max quickly used the moment to walk over to the bed and slip underneath the blanket, avoiding her girlfriends gaze. Chloe stood up from the bed without saying a word as she made her way towards the bathroom - stopping in front of the door.

"You're more than welcome to join me, girlfriend…" Chloe purred over at Max as she threw up her cheeky punk exterior, staring at the brunette in the bed. Max instantly recoiled as she was hit by the words.

"Oh. Uhm.- I-.. I just finished…" Max began to speak but stopped at Chloe cackled and then disappeared behind the door - leaving it slightly open. Max stared at the door for a second as she realised the suggestion that Chloe had left by keeping it slightly ajar. The brunette quickly shook of her thoughts as the sound of the shower echoed out of the room. " _PERV!_ "

Max spent the next 10 minutes in bed, watching the cartoons on the TV. She quietly munched away at the last of her fries, finally feeling like she had eaten a _semi-decent_ meal - hunger will do that to you after you haven't eaten in nearly a full day. She giggled a few times at the cartoons as she saw the characters do something stupid or goofy. She eventually wriggled out from underneath the blankets and quickly wandered over to the radiator - checking her clothes and finding them still wet, with exception to her bra and panties. Max took the opportunity to put them both on below her towel, hearing the shower shut off in the bathroom as her girlfriend finished washing herself. The brunette quickly ran over to the bed and slipped her towel off, sliding under the blanket with her bra and panties on.

The punk left the bathroom on cue, failing to notice the brunette still scrambling into the bed, her own wet clothes in her hands and a towel around her body. She wasn't as shy and self-conscious as Max so she didn't really care to be walking around with only the towel covering her own naked body - if anything she was proud of her seemingly great figure, especially after she treated it with fast food, weed and alcohol for the past 4 years. She quickly put her clothes on the radiator as she rearranged Max's to ensure that both of theirs would fit. After a few minutes of struggling with it, she finally managed to get some sort of order to the chaos of wet clothes. She turned around and looked at Max as she was absolutely ogling at her girlfriend in the towel. Chloe quickly used the opportunity to tease her the girl.

"See somethin' ya like, Caulfield?" Chloe spoke in her best seductive tone, her soft southern heritage making itself known in her voice as she swayed her hips side to side a bit, holding her hands on them and looking straight at the brunette. Max instantly went crimson in the cheeks and pulled the blanket over her face as a loud, muffled groan came out from underneath. Chloe laughed and then made her way over to the bed, sitting down on her side as she began to sort out her own short, electric blue hair. Her fingers ran through the locks and proceeded to dishevel them a bit, the girl beginning to hum quietly to herself.

"Chloe..?" Max spoke up as she pulled the blanket down from her head as she peeked out, looking at the punk sitting on the side of the bed. She focused her gaze at the slightly glistening tattoo that worked it's way down her arm, depicting a thorny hibiscus bush with a red ribbon wrapped around - a golden skull rested in between the red hibiscus flowers as blue butterflies flapping around contrasted the entire piece. She felt herself lost in the beauty of the tattoo as she wanted to reach out and touch it.

"Yeah? What's up?" Chloe eventually broke the brunette's train of thought as she looked at her. Max quickly regained her consciousness as she looked at her girlfriend's face, meeting her own gaze.

"Uhm..- Can we cuddle tonight..? I mean..- if you don't..-" Max began to speak but then saw her girlfriend moving. Chloe shifted her position to get a better look at Max and then leaned in, bringing her index finger to Max's mouth and leaving it there for a second as she looked into her eyes.

"First hugging, then kissing and now cuddling...?" Chloe asked and saw the girl cower a bit, the brunette's self esteem being crushed slightly as she took the punk's words as a rejection. The bluenette grinned wide and left a soft kiss on Max's nose. "What kind of girlfriend do you think I am to leave out the cuddling?" Chloe continued seductively as she ran her finger along Max's lips, looking down at them for a second. She wanted to move in and devour the brunette right then and there, but she stopped herself. Max was completely rigid at the motion, feeling her heart skip a few beats as the punk's finger rested on her lips.

Chloe quickly giggled and then got back into her position, finishing up the final touches on her hair as she tried to give it some sort of order. Max had stayed silent the entire time, losing herself in her own thoughts as she let her mind wander. Eventually Chloe shifted in her place and then used her hand to correct her pillow, quickly slipping under the blankets as she pulled them over herself. Chloe turned her body to face Max, propping herself up on her elbow as she stared at the brunette. Max suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a pair of hands wrapping themselves around her waist.

The punk worked quickly but efficiently. With a few motions she had managed to wrap her hands around Max and pulled her into a spooning position, firmly placing her back against her own body and slipping her leg over Max's. The two of them stayed that way for a few minutes as Max tried to process everything. Eventually she realised that she liked this and felt her body relax as she began to shift around slightly, trying to wiggle into Chloe a bit.

"Mm. Gotta pay for the real estate, Caulfield." Chloe whispered as she placed her mouth near the brunette's ear. Max visibly shuddered as goosebumps worked their way up her arm - Chloe's voice had shot absolute bolts of electricity through her. She wiggled a bit more as Chloe giggled. "Love you."

"Mm. Love you." Max mumbled out as her words began to slurr slightly. She wiggled one final bit and then closed her eyes, letting sleep take over. Chloe heard the brunette start to snore softly after a few minutes and she smiled to herself, watching her sleep. She moved in a bit and left a light kiss on the brunette's head and then nuzzled her face into the chestnut nest resting below, closing her own eyes as she let the sleep take her.

* * *

_The swirling vortex made it's slowly descent upon the once quaint little town, starting to destabilise the local scenery as trees began to be uprooted - getting sucked into the super tornado that found itself only a few hundred metres away._

_Max held her right hand out, trying to use her once present power to reverse the outcome, to try and warn the town before the storm. She tried to jolt her hand forward a few more times to no effect, watching as the tornado began shredding into the waterfront._

_The brunette fell on her knees, powerless in all accounts, and watched as the vortex swallowed the entire town whole. Voices began to ring out in her head - Kate, Joyce, David, Warren, Victoria, Dana, Juliet and hundreds of others, drowning each other out in a Borg-like voice as they all synced together._

" _Why didn't you save us, Max?"_

* * *

"KATE!" Max cried out as she shot up from the bed, using her hands for support. She felt as her hair stuck to her forehead, drenched in sweat as the beads trickled down her face. She threw her face into her hands after a few moments, beginning to sob quietly, realising that it was just a nightmare. She heard quiet groan behind her, followed by quiet movement as two hands quickly wrapped themselves around her waist and lightly tugged the girl.

"Heyy… what's up? Bad dream?" Chloe spoke as best as she could, trying to ensure that her words wouldn't slur. She placed her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder, looking at her closely as she heard the quiet sobbing. The brunette nodded a few times through her cries, loud enough for the punk to hear. Chloe moved her head away a bit and kissed the shoulder that her chin rested on a few times, pecking at it to try and soothe her girlfriend. Max visibly relaxed when she felt the lips slowly caressing her shoulder, the soft touch of Chloe her skin having a healing effect on the brunette's psyche.

"I-.. it-... w-was the fu-fucking storm again…" Max whispered quietly as she calmed herself down, allowing her to take deep breaths. "They were there Chloe! They were asking me-.. Why-.." Max broke down in quiet tears again. Chloe shifted herself closer to her girlfriend and pulled her in using the arms around her waist. She gave her a few kisses on her temple as she placed her head on her slightly exposed chest. She didn't care that the towel she slept in had nearly come undone - now wasn't the time to be embarrassed, not when Max needed her.

"It's alright. Shh.. I'm here. I'm always going to be here." Chloe spoke quietly into Max's ear as she stroked her hand through her hair. Max sniffled a bit and then nodded slowly. Chloe slowly allowed herself to slump back against the pillow as she carefully pulled Max down with her. She shifted a bit in her place as she kept stroking Max's hair, keeping her head on her bust and periodically leaning her head down to give her light kisses in her hair. Max calmed down as she felt Chloe holding her, nuzzling her head into her girlfriend's bust and listening to her heart beat - syncing her breathing with it.

"Chloe... these nightmares - they're not g-gonna stop, are they...?" Max spoke quietly over the beating of Chloe's heart, hearing it stop for a few seconds after her question. Chloe let out a quiet sigh and shook her head.

"I-... I don't know Max." Chloe used one hand to stroke the girls bare arm, adding to her already calming presence as the girl felt safe in the arms of the punk. "But I'm going to be here for all of these nightmares, m'kay? No matter how long they last, no matter how bad they get. I'm always going to be there."

"O-Okay. I-... Thank you." Max mouthed quietly as her voice was lower than a whisper. Chloe kept stroking the girls arm, running her fingers through her hair, the brunette finally allowing her breathing to return to its normal state, her body feeling relaxed as her muscles were no longer tense. Minutes passed in silence as the older girl kept caressing the brunette.

Max eventually felt calm enough to allow herself to close her eyes again and fall asleep. Chloe kept stroking her hair as she heard the smaller girl begin to snore softly again. She stared up at the whitewashed ceiling in the darkness, seeing the shadows from the curtains dancing around as cars occasionally drove past the roadside motel. The punk let herself get lost in her thoughts a bit as she watched the shadows.

_Hopefully these nightmares stop. It's bad enough she had to live through it all - there's no fucking reason to haunt her over her choice anymore than she already is. She has to deal with the fact that she might have killed my-... Jesus fuck. Okay, that's fucked up brain. Joyce and David, my fucking mom and my step-p-... step dad died because of her choice. She has to live with that, probably get reminded every day when she see's me. This is going to take some serious, serious healing to help her forget. Psychologist maybe...? There's probably anti-depressants she can take, like me. Ugh. Alright, get your head straight - don't fuck this up. She can't be stressed or nervous for a while, the duration of this trip at least. She needs time, needs a distraction._

Chloe heard as Max's breath hitched a bit in her sleep, prompting her to quickly look back down at her. She lowered her head in towards her girlfriend's ear and gave it a few kisses, running her hand through her hair again. A few moments later the brunette began to snore softly again. She returned to her thoughts afterwards.

_Alright, think - where are we going to go? Big Sur...? Nah, we don't have enough cash for that, even $5000 wouldn't last in that damn state. Maybe Idaho, Utah, Colorado - see the sights, spend some nights together in hotel rooms, maybe go to the cinema and watch something. We can't keep going forever anyway, the 'handicapped fund' will only last so long - we'll need to settle down one day too. Shit, listen to yourself girl. Settle down? You're barely girlfriends for three hours and you're already talking about starting a life together. Then again - your bond is unique, unlike any other. Who the hell can boast that their girlfriend broke the space-time continuum to save you?_

Chloe giggled quietly to herself, the brunette in her arms still snoring.

_The most important thing - she needs to return to her parents whether she likes it or not, all the loving she can get, right? God forbid that I fucking break before we get back to Seattle...- This shit affected me too. I have to stay strong though, carry her until she's fine. My period of mourning will come eventually. Ugh. This sucks hard. Alright, that's enough - to sleep with you, Price!_

Chloe smiled and then shifted a bit, snuggling her face into Max's hair again as she closed her eyes - falling into quiet slumber shortly.

* * *

Chloe fluttered her eyes open after a few seconds, squinting as she looked around her. They were in a dingy motel room, the morning sun starting to peek through the curtains ever so slightly and lighting up parts of the tacky wallpaper - it looked even worse in the sunlight than it did in lamplight. Chloe lifted her head up a bit as she looked at the TV for a second, shifting her gaze to her nightstand as she used one hand to grab her phone. She brought it to her face and squinted even harder when the bright screen lit up in front of her - she stared at it for a few seconds as it came in and out of focus to check the time. **8:37AM.** She dropped her head back down on her pillow and locked her phone, dropping it back on the nightstand.

The punk heard the soft snoring next to her as she smiled, remembering that Max was sleeping against her chest. _Wait. Her-.._ Chloe quickly looked down at her chest as she gulped quietly - her towel had come undone in the night, exposing her naked body. She quickly felt the blush working up to her cheeks as she realised that her girlfriend was sleeping on her bare chest. She let it sink in for a few moments and then completely changed her expression - grinning wildly, feeling a bit happy with herself. Max was her girlfriend, the girl she loved with all her heart - they were more than likely going to see each other naked eventually. Better sooner rather than later, right? _Then again, maybe we should take it a bit slower...?_ Chloe bit her lip a bit as she let laid still, allowing herself to wake up a bit - focusing on her girlfriend's soft snoring.

Max began to come to after a few minutes, shifting her head a bit as she looked up. She scanned around the motel room a bit as she was figuring out her surroundings and then stopped, slowly moving her head up towards the bluenette. Chloe was smiling at her, her azure blue eyes staring at Max's own deep blue from underneath her short electric blue fringe. Max let a smile form on her face too as she lowered her head a bit, placing her chin on the punk's chest as she kept her gaze on her. The brunette felt as Chloe's hand slowly stroked her arm, soothing her a bit as she closed her eyes and smiled wider.

"Hey. You sleep good?" Chloe eventually spoke softly as she kept stroking the brunettes arm, looking down at her. Max nodded her head a bit.

"After the n-nightmare, yeah." Max replied in whisper as she opened her eyes again, staring at her girlfriend. She giggled a bit and then lifted her head up, moving forward a bit as she pecked Chloe's lips lightly with her own - moving her head back to look at her face. Chloe smiled as she received the kiss and then looked back at the girl. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Chloe spoke as she slumped her head back into her pillows, her memory of last night springing to her mind for a split-second as she stared at the ceiling. She spoke up again after a moment. "Whaddya want for breakfast? I'll head out in a sec, grab us something before we hit the road again."

"Mm. I could go for a punk right about now." Max felt a bit confident as she spoke, biting her lip a bit as she looked at Chloe's reaction. She always wanted to be sassy, her shy persona would often get in the way of it - but with the punk she didn't care about it. Chloe quickly lifted her head in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape as she was processing her girlfriend's words. _Who are you and what have you done with my shy and socially awkward Max Caulfield?_

"Max Caulfield, did you just imply that you want to eat your girlfriend out?" Chloe replied slowly as she looked at the brunette, her tone a bit brash and too forward - her question sounding completely blunt. Max's expression dropped from seductive to disbelief in a second, the words ringing around her head.

"Oh my dog, when you put it like that - no. Mood ruined." Max spoke and then dropped her head back on her girlfriend's chest as she let out a sigh. A few seconds later she giggled, the sass returning almost as fast as it went. "I'd love to get a bit of a taster though…"

"You little minx!" Chloe spoke as she playfully shoved Max, prompting another giggle from the brunette.

"You didn't say no…" Max pointed out as she looked up again, her chin on Chloe's chest.

"Maybe soon, Caulfield. Good things come to those who wait, y'know?" Chloe tried to lead the conversation away. She wasn't shy when talking about sex per-say, but she'd rather not have her girlfriend lose her virginity in a musty hotel room in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Washington state. Max nodded as if she understood her companions train of thought, placing her head back down on her chest before giggling again.

"You're naked. You tryna seduce me?" Max once again pointed out, lightly lifting the blanket to reveal her girlfriend's body, curious. Chloe quickly snapped her hand down back to her chest as the blanket settled down. Max was giggling uncontrollably by this point.

"I swear, you were the one calling me a perv last night, yet now you're tryin' to sneak peeks on the goods?" Chloe teased a bit as she clutched the brunettes hands to her chest, ensuring she couldn't lift the blanket again.

"You make it hard not to…" Max spoke quietly and then raised her head again. She leaned in and gave Chloe a quick peck on the lips again, starting to wriggle away from her. After a few moments she sat down on the edge of the bed as she used the blanket to cover herself, shooting her gaze towards the older girl still lying down - letting a slight blush creep onto her cheeks.

"Caulfield, I swear. You offer to eat me out and try to sneak a peek at my naked body yet you're scared of showing your girlfriend your skin? I see how it is." Chloe spoke up bluntly in slight disbelief as she turned herself over away from Max, grumbling under her breath for a few moments. Max rolled her eyes as she dropped the blanket wrapped around her chest, revealing her black bra.

Max stood up from the bed as she revealed her entire body whilst she wore her bra and panties. She ignored the squeaking of the mattress springs behind her, walking over to the radiator in the corner of the room. Slowly she reached over to grab her clothes, bending down a bit as she made a show of it - running her hand up from the bottom of her leg and up her thigh, standing up straight after a few moments. She heard Chloe groan behind her and giggled. The brunette quickly spun around on her heels as she looked at the bed.

Chloe was lying propped up on her elbows, blanket covering her naked body, as she watched Max tease her. She looked at the brunette as she stood still in her bra and panties, staring at Chloe. After a few seconds the bluenette dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling, her face expressionless. _This girl will be the death of me. Wait. Uhm. She already has been. Multiple times. Oh._ Chloe looked back over and saw Max was already squeezing her butt into her jeans before she stopped for a second, looking back at Chloe. The punk looked away again and heard the girl giggle again, the sound almost being music to her ears - the hipster continuing to change on her own. After a few moments Chloe sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself quickly, standing up from the bed.

Max finished putting her shirt on as she saw the tall girl walking past with the blanket wrapped around her, the fabric trailing behind her on the floor, Chloe taking her own clothes from the radiator and wandering over to the bathroom. She stopped for a second and looked at Max, sticking her tongue out and then disappearing inside the bathroom. The brunette let out a sigh as she looked around the room. Then her stomach rumbled.

"Chloeeee…! I'm hungryy!" Max moaned out as her shoulders slumped forward. She heard a cackle come from the bathroom as the door slammed shut, prompting her to jump up a bit. She scoffed and then crossed her arms, walking towards the bed and sitting herself down, turning the TV on - watching cartoons. A few minutes passed before she heard the bathroom door open as she quickly switched her gaze towards her now fully-dressed girlfriend - the punk scratching her hair through her beanie.

"Let's checkout. Grab whatever we took and hop your cute little butt into the Ford." Chloe spoke with a grin as she walked past the brunette, grabbing their paper bags from the floor. Max nodded quickly and jumped off the bed as she took her camera bag and her phone, unlocking it to check for notifications. **37 MISSED CALLS. 129 NEW TEXTS.** Max let out a quiet sigh and quickly cleared her notifications - not wanting to check them. She knew that it was probably all her parents trying to find out if she's alright, perhaps a few people she knew in Seattle like Fernando and Kristen, but they were a part of a life that she didn't want to deal with - not yet. Today was the first day of Max and Chloe's trip, their healing cruise - kickback and relax, right? Nobody would get in their way and nothing would ruin this time together for them - Arcadia be damned. Max scrunched her face up a bit at the thought but ignored it. _Live in the present, not the past. Don't think about that place - forget it. Please, work with me brain._

Chloe locked the door behind them as Max quickly made her way down to the Ford with Chloe's car keys. The punk carefully walked her way down the rusty stairs as they squeaked a bit, heading past her truck and shooting a glance at the girl sitting down and flipping her the bird from inside. Chloe giggled and then upped her pace as she approached the small hut that contained the motel reception, spinning the keys in her hand. She let out a quiet content sigh and looked over beyond the road, watching the Washington scenery - beautiful snow covered mountains surrounded by pine forests in the faraway horizon. Quickly making her way towards the front desk, she dropped her keys off and waved goodbye as she left through the flimsy double doors again.

The bluenette slammed the door shut behind her, leaning back in her seat for a second and then shooting a glance at the brunette beside her. Max looked back and smiled, extending her hand towards Chloe's and intertwining their fingers. Chloe loved every bit of the hand-holding that they'd done so far - Max's fingers perfectly locked in with Chloe's, as if meant to be.

"So...- Where to first, girlfriend?" Chloe asked as she looked at Max. The brunette let out a quiet sigh and shrugged.

"Anywhere. Seriously, just drive and we'll see, m'kay? I want to spend this time with you, no matter where we go." Max replied and gave the older girl a squeeze with her hand, receiving one back promptly. Chloe nodded and readjusted herself back in her seat, dropping their contact briefly as she got to work with the truck.

With a swift motion and a quiet rumble, the punk brought the engine to life. The radio spilled into the cabin quietly, letting a soft song played to a fast guitar riff echo around the two girls. The truck jolted backwards in reverse, quickly merging onto the road afterwards.

 **_** ...I've had a thousand girls or maybe more,_ **  
**_But I've never felt like this before._ **  
**_But I just don't know what's come over me,_ **  
**_You took me over, take a look at me._ **

**_What can I do,_ **  
**_All I want is to be next to you._ **  
**_What can I do,_ **  
**_All I want is to be next to you... **_ **


	4. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

Chloe kept her hand on the steering wheel, periodically applying pressure to the pedal almost absentmindedly. She reached over to the medium sized pack of fries in between the girls as her hand struck Max's on accident. She quickly shot a gaze over at the brunette who started to giggle, swatting Chloe's hand away playfully. Giving it her all, Chloe started to pout as she threw up her best puppy eyes - keeping her gaze on Max. The brunette giggled again and and retrieved a bundle of fries, leaning forward a bit as she playfully held them out in front of Chloe's mouth. The punk went in for a bite but Max was too fast - the fries being moved away as soon as she tried, prompting her to go for another bite afterwards, and another one, and another one. Eventually Max was giggling so hard that she gave up, feeding the fries to her girlfriend. Chloe let out a wide grin as she chewed loudly, making a show of it.

Max's giggles eventually died down as she looked out of her window, leaning against it and smiling. The various hills and plains kept peeking out from behind the treeline that followed the road the entire way, prompting the girl to switch her gaze and glare in amazement at how beautiful it all was. She was extremely happy - she'd constantly kept her mind occupied on the trip, on the views around them and on the fact that Chloe, her girlfriend, was here to witness it all with her. The storm and Arcadia Bay no longer lingered on her mind as much, besides the nightmare she had earlier in the night - she was recovering because Chloe was there for her. Yet Max didn't know that Chloe was hurting too, albeit she had managed to repress the feelings well - 5 years of pain and abandonment will allow you to do that.

"So..- We can't keep driving forever, y'know?" Chloe eventually spoke up as she remembered her thoughts from the night, keeping the truck on the road - adjusting the steering wheel a bit to keep them straight. She shot a glance at the brunette who was shifting around to face her. "Where do you wanna go? Like.. seriously go?"

"I-.. I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. I was thinking somewhere far away, maybe Canada." Max replied as she curled her legs to her side, scrunching up her nose a bit. It was true, she hadn't thought about any of it at all - she just wanted to get away, anywhere but Arcadia and Seattle. "Maybe not Canada actually. That's a little bit extreme for now, methinks."

"Mhm. After your nightmare, I gave it some thought...- Canada was my first choice too - somewhere in the far north." Chloe spoke quietly as she kept her gaze on the road. "I dunno though. We can literally go anywhere - you give me a place and I'll get us there."

"I-.. uh. I don't know, seriously. You got any places besides the far north?" Max curiously asked as she curled her toes a few times for no reason.

"I mean..- We could try the different states nearby. Idaho, Nevada, Colorado.." Chloe shot a quick glance at Max before focusing on the road again. "Idaho Falls, Reno, Denver. They're all pretty nice from what I hear."

"Colorado...? That's not next to Oregon or Washington...-" Max pointed out as she watched a dangerous smirk develop on Chloe's face.

"Yeah, I might be a bit biased with that choice - y'know...?" Chloe winked at Max and she understood, shaking her head in slight disgust.

"Yuck."

"Hey, don't slam it 'til ya try it." Chloe shoved the brunette playfully, the girl rolling her eyes in return. "I'll turn you into a pothead yet."

"Mhm - we'll see about that." Max looked away and resumed her gaze on the sights outside. Her mind wondered over the idea of trying weed - she had never 'lived' per say, her social anxiety and general shyness made sure of that. Yet she was here with Chloe now, the punk ensuring of her safety at all times - perhaps she should indulge just a _bit_...?

"So, made your mind up yet?" Chloe struck the girl out of her thoughts, the brunette resuming her confused expression. She shook her head again as Chloe nodded.

"Uhm..- can we just keep moving for now? Just keep going for a while to random places whilst we decide?" Max asked as she looked out the windshield herself, taking in the sights again. She smiled and then looked back at Chloe, the punk staring at her.

"Max, I can keep us going for months if need be. Remember, we have all the time in the world now." Chloe smiled and looked back at the road. "We'll make the choice when we're ready, together."

Chloe dropped her hand from the clutch as she held it out towards the brunette, Max instantly taking the cue and intertwining their fingers. The punk dropped their hands onto the seat, keeping her gaze on the road as she felt Max squeeze her hand - the punk responding back with her own. Chloe casually pressed the pedal and felt as the truck began to speed up on the relatively empty road. Her 1986 Ford F150 might be old, but it packed a hell of a kick when it needed to. Letting her thoughts wander a bit, Chloe grinned at the prospect of eventually moving into a house or apartment with her girlfriend, her Max, and decorating the place together. She felt the happy feeling pooling in her chest as she tapped the pedal again, speeding the truck up further.

After a while a sign came up on the side of the road, Chloe shooting it a quick glance as they shot past. She realised that Max and her still haven't even bought new toiletries or anything personal at all - they've been on the road since Arcadia Bay. She eased up on the pedal as the truck began to slow down ahead of the off ramp. Max looked out towards the incoming service station, seeing her girlfriend slowly pull in towards the off ramp and lead the truck over towards the gas pumps. Chloe jumped out of the truck after grabbing a few bills and got to work. She was leaning against the truck whilst the nozzle started to pour fuel into her tank, allowing herself to gaze around a bit. A few people shot her glances - probably due to the fact she looked like a punk and had electric blue hair - but otherwise the rest kept to themselves.

The station was located on a small hill that overlooked a pine meadow down below, spreading over several miles towards the south. Chloe finished filling her tank and put away the nozzle, closing up the fuel flap and wiping her hands on the back of her jeans. She tapped on the passenger side window and stuck her tongue out as she saw Max scowling at her, the punk slowly strutting over to the medium sized building that contained a small 24/7, Starbucks and a Pizza Hut. Quickly making her way to the initial service checkout, Chloe paid for the refuelling and then pocketed the spare change, keeping the bills in her hand as she walked over to the 24/7.

Max sat on her own in the truck as she kept her gaze towards the building, waiting for her girlfriend to come outside. After about 10 agonising minutes, Max finally rolled her eyes when she saw the blue punk making her way out of the building with two big bags in one hand, the other holding a large dark-green canvas like bag - she looked like she was struggling a bit, but shot a smile as she saw Max in the truck. The brunette took the initiative and gave her the bird, earning a fake scowl from the bluenette as she picked up her pace. Chloe walked past the truck and threw the large dark green bag in the back, securing it slightly so it wouldn't fall off the bed. She stepped backwards and extended her now free hand forward, opening up the door and taking a step inside the truck as she began to lean over her girlfriend. Dropping the bags between her legs, Chloe brought one hand down to the brunette's chin and cupped it, slowly raising it and moving in for a kiss. Max indulged her girlfriend and allowed the kiss to happen as their lips parted slightly. After a few moments the punk moved away and grinned, stepping back and slamming the passenger door - causing the brunette to jump.

"What the hell took you so long?" Max asked inquisitively as her girlfriend sat down in front of the steering wheel. Chloe giggled and then flicked the key in the ignition, allowing the truck to rumble quietly into life.

"I bought us some stuff for the road. Toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash and shampoo - shit like that. Got a bunch of food and a few drinks too. Should keep us going for a few days at least." Chloe answered as she eased into the pedal and pulled the truck away. Quickly proceeding back onto the road, Chloe merged effortlessly onto the completely empty lane as started to let the truck gain speed.

"What's that green thing in the back...?" Max asked and saw Chloe smile wide, her eyes still on the road.

"A tent..." Chloe kept her smile and heard a happy squirm from beside her, Max obviously elated at the fact they might be going camping. "Come on, a road trip and you expect _not_ to camp somewhere?"

Max kept smiling as she looked at the punk, the older girl driving the truck confidently as she kept quiet. Her heart fluttered a bit at the prospect of going camping with her girlfriend - just the two of them in the wilds. _The mind could wander...-_ Max began to blush as she realised her thoughts, quickly covering them with the sleeves of her hoodie as she looked out the window. She remembered Chloe's mention of the toiletries she bought for them.

"Wait..- you said toothbrush..? Singular..?" Max raised her eyebrow, watching Chloe's reaction. The punk nodded and then cackled as the brunette scrunched her entire face up in disgust. She hated when Chloe used her toothbrush when they were kids.

"Well, we're a couple now and we kiss so germs are gonna spread anyway - right? So who cares if we share one toothbrush." Chloe eventually stopped cackling and spoke, keeping her gaze on the road.

"Chloeee. Ew. I swear to dog, if I see you using it for anything more than bru-.." Max began talking but Chloe quickly cut her off.

"Anything more? Wow Caulfield, the toothbrush has more than one practical use? Indulge me, please." Chloe mocked the brunettes small lapse of intelligence. Max scrunched up her face again and then reached over to playfully shove her girlfriend.

"Oh shush. Drive and don't speak." Max shot out in feigned frustration. Chloe giggled and then pressed down on the pedal further, kicking the truck forward.

* * *

_**** ...I took my love, I took it down** _   
_**Climbed a mountain and I turned around** _   
_**And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills** _   
_**'Til the landslide brought it down... **** _

Chloe quietly hummed along with the song, tapping her hand on the steering wheel in rhythm. Looking to her right quickly, she saw Max keeping her gaze out of the window - her legs now resting on the dashboard as she relaxed. A smile formed on Chloe's face as she saw how carefree her girlfriend was - a polar opposite of the girl that sat in the same place only two days ago. She slipped her hand off the clutch and placed it on the brunette's thigh, giving it a light squeeze as she turned towards the punk. Max smiled for a second and dropped her own hand onto Chloe's, holding it there as she looked back out towards the window.

"So, how about we hit up a cinema? Watch a quick flick and just chill..?" Chloe spoke as she looked out the windshield towards the road. She felt her hand receive a light squeeze as the brunette looked at her girlfriend.

"Chloe, a cinema out here? Dork. Besides, I haven't been to one since forever - wouldn't know what the coolest movie to watch would be." Max replied as she smiled, shifting a bit in her seat but keeping her legs on the dashboard. "Still, it's sweet that you asked. Who knew you were such a hopeless romantic under that punk exterior?"

"Hmm, I dunno about that girlfriend. Gonna have to get back to you on that one real soon." Chloe spoke back as she let her gaze wander off the road and onto Max, looking at her for a few seconds and refocusing again.

_**** ...Oh, mirror in the sky** _   
_**What is love?** _   
_**Can the child within my heart rise above?** _   
_**Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?** _   
_**Can I handle the seasons of my life?... **** _

Max began to hum along with the soft melody, letting the lyrics wash over her. She smiled and looked back out the window as large mountain range came into few. The girl watched in awe as the snow capped peaks were barely touching the clouds, a gigantic meadow sprawled at the bottom of the range. It was at least a dozen miles away, but the sheer sight had the girl catching her breath a bit too many times as she suddenly coughed violently. Chloe instantly shot a concerned look at her girlfriend.

"You okay?" Chloe asked as she kept her eyes on the brunette who was recovering slowly. Max softly pounded her own chest a few times and then began to nod, wiping the tears that leaked out of her eyes.

"It's beautiful. Look, Chlo." Max slowly took her girlfriend's hand from her hip and pulled it over in the direction of the still visible mountain range. The punk looked at the road for a second to make sure there weren't any cars ahead and then followed her girlfriend's gaze to the right. Her voice got caught in the back of the throat as she saw the peaks touching the clouds, the sun now shining a large ray of light onto the escarpments. Chloe took a few seconds to appreciate the sight with her girlfriend, looking down at her for a few seconds and then quickly shifting her eyes back at the road.

"Holy Shit. Who would've thought you could find such a beauty in the cabin of an old 1986 Ford." Chloe grinned widely as she quickly went to work with her wit. Max groaned next to her loudly.

"Hopeless Romantic."

"You love it."

"Mhm."

**_** ...Well, I've been afraid of changin'_ **   
**_'Cause I've built my life around you_ **   
**_But time makes you bolder_ **   
**_Even children get older_ **   
**_And I'm getting older, too... **_ **

The truck kept going at a steady pace as the road started to wind a little bit, tucking in and out between a series of hills and meadows. Chloe tapped the pedal every few seconds to keep the speed as the truck started to make its way up a small hill, starting to struggle a bit. Max suddenly decided to shift in her position, moving herself over beside Chloe as she carefully placed her head against the bluenette's shoulder. The punk grinned as her girlfriend slipped one hand around her waist and pulled herself in a bit, getting comfortable. The younger girl shifted her legs to they could fully stretch on the dashboard towards the passenger side, closing her eyes a bit as she listened to the song. Chloe turned her head a bit whilst still keeping her eyes on the road, giving her girlfriend's head a few light kisses in appreciation of the gesture - she loved the fact that Max constantly wanted to be near her, feel her presence against hers.

"Mm. Wish we could forever be like this - on the road." Max quietly spoke as the truck reached the top of the first hill. "Listening to the music, sharing moments like this - just the two of us."

"We will be like this. Don't think that just because we have to settle down somewhere I won't be taking you on road trips." Chloe kissed her girlfriend's head again. "You're not getting off that easy. I'm gonna get every damn state sticker on that dashboard over there and you're gonna be with me for each one of those times."

"Sounds like you got our life planned already. Scheming behind my back?" Max teased playfully.

"I wouldn't dare." Chloe giggled and looked out her of her side window, taking as much of the scenery in as she could. Being the driver of the vehicle, Chloe didn't have much time to enjoy the sights herself - it didn't bother her that much, she'd much rather have Max keep her mind off things by taking it in.

"What about Europe?" Max spoke after a seconds of silence. Chloe shot her a glance as she raised her eyebrows. "Like.. Sweden, Norway. Somewhere cold - maybe we could get a small hut in a forest. We'd have to cuddle to get warm…"

"Oh you saucy little minx. You're just trying to get in my pants, aren't you?" Chloe instantly teased back, chuckling to herself. She looked over at the side of the road as she saw a sign come up.

' _MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK - 50 MILES'_

"Oh, please. If I wanted to get into your pants, I'd do it right now." Max spoke back confidently. She started to become more bold now, knowing the only Chloe could hear her. The bluenette laughed loudly as she heard Max.

**_** ...I took my love, I took it down_ **   
**_I climbed a mountain and I turned around_ **   
**_And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills_ **   
**_Well the landslide will bring it down... **_ **

The song had finally come to an end as the last lyrics flooded the cabin. Chloe listened as the next song came on but quickly lost interest, taking a second to think and gather her thoughts. Max had shifted position again, letting her head drop into her girlfriend's lap as she dropped her legs off the dashboard - bringing one leg up and letting the other one lie straight. Chloe looked down for a second and smiled as her girlfriend smiled back, closing her eyes afterwards and resting. The punk moved her hand over from the clutch towards Max's abdomen, caressing is slowly over the shirt. She took it a step further and slipped her hand underneath, touching her girlfriend's warm skin. Max let out a gasp as she felt the cold pale hand on her stomach, opening her eyes a bit. She closed them after inspecting her companions grinning face and let the punk caress her bare abdomen.

"You ever seen Mount Rainier?" Chloe broke the silence after a bit, still caressing her girlfriend. She shot her eyes below her to look at the girl in her lap.

"Uhm-.. No. Not really. Just in postcards, movies and pictures - that kinda stuff." Max replied as she kept her eyes closed, furrowing her eyebrows a bit. "My-... my parents hiked to the top once.. Like three years ago. I-.. uhm.. was too scared."

Chloe let her gaze drop to her girlfriend again. The girl hadn't mentioned her parents since their talk in the car park barely 24 hours ago. Her eyes lingered on her for a bit as she looked back up to the road, letting her idea fall in place. She smiled to herself as she made the mental note.

"So what about music, girlfriend? You never told me what bands you liked. Except for that pretentious hipster trash." Chloe once again broke the silence after a few minutes. She wanted to get to know Max, her girlfriend, her best friend, after a 5 year absence from each other. The one week in hell they suffered didn't give them a lot of catching up time, that's for sure. "You've gotta have some guilty pleasures, right? Metal? Punk? Deathcore?"

"Uhm. I guess I kinda like some punk bands… nothing big. The Offspring, Rancid, Ramones... sometimes even Green Day." Max answered the question as she thought to herself, trying to list some bands. "I'm really attributing that guilty pleasure to you. You used to listen to them when were were still tweens."

"Oh? I'm a hella good bad influence on you, girlfriend." Chloe giggled as she spoke, turning the steering wheel ever so slightly. "Not gonna lie..- I kinda like some of the stuff you listen to. Alt-J, Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes…"

"Wooow. _Pretentious hipster trash...?_ You're the closet hipster here." Max teased as she opened her eyes and giggled at her girlfriend. Chloe shot her a glance and stuck out her tongue for a second. "If you stick it out again, I might just swallow it."

"Horndog." Chloe simply stated and switched her gaze back to the road. Chloe slowly continued to rub her girlfriend's belly, ever so slightly running her index finger around the rim of her belly button. Max shuddered a bit at the feeling.

"Movies, Chlo? You like anything else apart from Blade Runner?" Max cheerfully asked, biting her lip as Chloe ran her index finger over her belly button again - she loved it.

"Eh..- I never had much time to watch anything in the past 5 years. Too busy with hating the world, you know?" Chloe replied quietly, keeping her gaze on the road. A few turns were starting to come up in a few minutes, one of which Chloe planned to take. "I mean. I watched Scott Pilgrim. That was cool. Ramona Flowers is kinda hot."

"Oh..?" Max opened her eyes a bit as she looked at her girlfriend. The brunette brought one hand up to her own hair, running her finger along her bangs and curling them a bit as she inspected them. "Was it the hair?"

"Uhm. I guess that was the selling point at first, yeah." Chloe spoke back after a few seconds, trying to read her girlfriend's voice. "She was cute too, hella awesome attitude to boot."

" _Cute...?_ " Max repeated with a slight twang of jealousy in her voice. Chloe nodded quietly and kept her eyes on the road. The younger girl felt her heart pricked in slight pain.

"You know I love you, right?" Chloe spoke up after a moment. "You're _the girl_ of my dreams. Nobody else."

"Mm." Max nodded slightly as she still felt the jealousy, unsure how to stop it. She knew that Chloe loved her. She knew that the punk wouldn't ever cheat on her. Yet there was still some dark feeling, some deeply repressed thought at the bottom of it all. She did her best to ignore it.

Chloe stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, focusing her gaze on the few roadside signs as she tried to find the right one. She turned the steering wheel as the truck was pulled into the turn slowly, carefully easing up and pressing down on the pedal afterwards. Max didn't think much about the turn, closing her eyes again as she listened to the music coming out of the radio, occasionally being broken up by the sound of tires on asphalt as Chloe sped up the Ford.

* * *

The Ford F150 rolled to a quiet stop a couple of hours later. Max opened her eyes as she heard the truck engine get cut, looking up at her now grinning girlfriend. Chloe pulled her keys out and then used her hands to grab the brunette lying her head down on her lap - carefully pulling her up as she wrapped her hands around the girl. The punk brought one of her hands over to Max who was staring at her the entire time, cupping her cheek a bit and then slowly tilting her head to the side - towards the windshield.

Max gasped.

Mount Rainier was towering above a peaceful looking valley, filled with mixed meadows of different coloured pines and trees - streams and quiet rivers flowing in between a few of them. Max felt as though her voice was suddenly caught in the back of her throat, unable to find her footing in the literary department as the beauty of it all rattled her. Chloe watched her girlfriend's reaction for a second and then giggled, leaning in and kissing Max's now exposed cheek. The brunette kept looking as she was stunned beyond belief - she'd never seen a mountain this close before, nevermind one of the biggest mountains in continental North America.

"Since we're gonna be on the road for some time, until we run out of funds at least..." Chloe began and left another soft kiss on Max's cheek. The brunette kept quiet as Chloe continued. "Thought we could see a few sights, y'know...?"

"Chl-.. Chloe. It's..- beautiful." Max began as she felt her voice slowly coming back, finding the right words with great difficulty. The brunette took in all the little details she could make out from this far away - the rhythmic swaying of the meadows, the glint of the water in the valley down below, the sun rays reflecting off the snow capped peak of Mount Rainier. She felt as the punk moved away a bit and then tugged her hand.

"Come on, let's see it outside." Chloe spoke as she opened her door and stepped out carefully, still holding Max's hand as she tugged her playfully again. Max quickly scrambled across the rest of the seat and jumped out next to her girlfriend - keeping her eye on the view the entire time. She didn't want to let go, she'd never seen anything like it. Ever. The punk carefully slipped her arm around the brunette's shoulder and slammed the door behind them, walking them over towards the roadside barrier.

"I-.. Chloe, thank you." Max snapped out of her daze after they stood silent for a bit and kept their eyes on the scenic view. She turned her head towards her girlfriend as she did the same, the two of them staring into each other's eyes - feeling the emotion rising in their bodies their blood ran warm, hearts thumping.

Chloe brought her free hand to Max's cheek and cupped it, parting her lips a bit and moving in for a kiss. Max moved in on her girlfriend and placed her lips against hers as they started to slowly move in rhythm - sharing the loving, passionate kiss as an electric surge shot through them both. This was different than any kiss they had before - almost reminiscent of the one they shared on the cliff only a few days ago. After a few seconds Chloe moved her head back and smiled at the brunette, quickly prompting her to smile back. The two girls stood there and looked back at the view, breathing in deep the fresh air - the smell of the pines, trees and nature. They loved every single bit of the sensation as they felt their hearts dance at the beauty of it all. They were both alive, away from the hell they suffered only a few days ago - sharing these moments together. Chloe smirked as an idea flew across her mind.

The brunette suddenly felt herself completely swept off her feet as she squeaked loudly, seeing the world begin to spin around at an increasingly faster pace. Chloe had picked up her girlfriend bridal style as she began to spin them both around, laughing loudly as she saw the blurred scenery out of the peripheral of her eye - focusing her gaze on Max alone. Max joined the laughing quickly and looked back at the bluenette, squirming and squeaking from time to time as she felt her stomach flutter again at the various emotions she was experiencing in the moment. The two girls spun around for few more moments as they were lost in their eyes - sharing an intimate moment. Eventually Chloe felt dizzy as she began to lose her balance, quickly shaking it off as she started to slow them both down over the next few seconds. She carefully put her girlfriend back on her feet, Max's hand wrapping around her neck.

Max moved in for another long kiss, this time she ran her tongue along Chloe's lower lip and bit playfully, tugging it back a bit before moving in for another kiss. The two girls played around with their lips as they enjoyed every part of the sensations they were feeling - discovering things about themselves and their relationship on a deep level with each kiss and soft bite. They broke apart after a few more seconds, placing their foreheads together and looking into their eyes - azure blue piercing deep blue, emotions being shared through the long, loving gaze between them.

"I love you." Max cooed as she bit her lip a bit, relishing the taste of her girlfriend's lips after the kiss. Chloe giggled a bit as she stared at her brunette companion.

"I love _you_." Chloe whispered back after a few seconds of giggling, quickly moving in to steal a kiss on her girlfriend's slightly puckered lips. Max smiled as the lips touched hers again.

"Chlo-.. AWH!" Max began and then squeaked loudly as she felt a pair of hands fall onto her sides and quickly start to dig in and tickle the brunette. Chloe laughed loudly as she continued her tickle attack against the now squirming girl trying to swat her hands away, writhing around in her girlfriend's embrace as the two goofed around. After a few minutes and a couple more playful cries to stop, Max finally felt as the hands relented and moved down to her hips instead - slowly pulling her back in. The brunette placed her head on the punk's chest and snaked her own arms around the taller girl's waist, starting to slow her breathing down as she smiled wide. The two girls simply stood there in silence, swaying side to side as they heard the sounds of nature around them, soothing them - birds tweeting, the far-away creaking of the pines and trees, occasional howls of the wind around them or buck calling in the woods. They loved this.

The bluenette slowly shuffled them towards the barrier beside the parked truck, swinging her legs over carefully and sitting herself down on top. Max quickly followed her companion's example and sat down next to her as she kept her hand around her waist, placing her head against Chloe's shoulder. They sat there in silence again as they continued to listen to the sounds of nature, occasionally broken by the sound of either of them moving or a passing car - not that many people were out here in cars. The girls saw small silhouettes of various things down in the valley, ranging from animals to humans on a hiking trail. They heard distant shouting as friends, couples and entire families travelled down the hiking trail towards Mount Rainier. Chloe smiled and turned her head a bit, softly kissing Max's temple a few times.

"Chlo..- if we're gonna be like this our entire life…" Max began as she looked up at her girlfriend, the punk looking out towards the view as she nodded quietly. "...can we go to Alaska? I-.. I've always wanted to see what it's like."

"We'll go to Alaska." Chloe smiled wide and then looked at the almost giddy brunette who was smiling wide herself. Max squeezed her arm around her girlfriend's waist show her gratitude. "We'll be like that dude in that movie we watched years ago...- Into the Wild...?"

"I'd like to remind you that the ending to that movie isn't exactly happy, you cried at the end." Max spoke and poked Chloe in the ribs, the taller girl chuckling.

"I did not cry! Besides, who said we'd have to follow the plot word-for-word? We'll make our own - just like we're doing now." Chloe moved in and placed another kiss on Max's cheek, the brunette nodding quietly. They sat there and watched the view as both of them thought things through. Max was the first to gather hers up, realising that all good things come to an end eventually.

"W-... What about jobs, Chlo? I know it's kinda heavy…" Max once again broke the moment, feeling a small wave of worry wash over her as she knew that they'd need to get jobs sooner rather than later, especially if they wanted to settle down somewhere. "I-.. uhm. I never finished High School technically."

"Don't worry. I'll find something, keep us going." Chloe reassured her girlfriend and gave her a squeeze. She wanted to stay strong for the girl, wanted to show her that she'll keep them going no matter what - Max was worth it. "I'll keep us afloat, let me worry about that."

"No, Chloe. I want to help, I want to work too." Max shook her head as she replied. "I don't want you to overwork yourself so that we can live somewhere. That's not happening."

"Uhm. I suppose I could do my GED, you too." Chloe danced her eyebrows a bit as she kept her stare forward. The sun was slowly setting and casting a warm orange glow onto Mount Rainier. "We could try University first maybe…? Rent a small place, get a federal loan and a part-time job?"

"I-... I've never thought about that. I wanted to go to University, do something to help my photography." Max spoke softly as she looked onto the now glowing peak of Mount Rainier. "I had dreams of becoming famous. Not gonna happen now, is it?"

"Heyy. Don't speak like that. You could be famous if you work hard enough, you'd have a hot girlfriend to show off at soiree's or whatever." Chloe giggled as she finished her sentence, following it up with a quick kiss to her girlfriend's temple. "Don't sell yourself short, girlfriend."

Max let the words bounce around through her head as she drifted into her thoughts. She realised that the possibility of going to University was still very much alive, she'd just have to finish her GED and apply. The brunette smiled a bit when the thought of her and Chloe going to the same university, living in the same dorm and graduating together started to surface. She heard her girlfriend shuffle a bit and squeeze Max's shoulder again. Max shifted her gaze back over at the view - watching the shadows of nearby peaks and hills roll over the meadow filled valley below the foot of Mount Rainier.

"So, you wanna sleep in a motel today?" Chloe broke the silence after about five minutes. Max looked up at her and raised her eyebrow.

"Where else are we gonna sleep, dork?" Max shook her head and looked back over at the valley. The sun had almost set completely as entire meadows were covered in shadow.

"Oh, I don't know. I could drive us over to Ashford, get a place for the night. Or…" Chloe began as she shifted her gaze to her Ford F150. "…we could sleep under the stars, if you want."

"You are _SUCH_ a hopeless romantic!" Max cried out as she heard Chloe chuckle a bit. The brunette's heartbeat quickened, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach giving her a warm tug. Chloe had just asked Max to sleep under the open sky with her - to stargaze together. Max felt an embrace, a fuzzy feeling in her chest as she smiled wide. "I'd rather sleep under the stars with you."

"It's a date then." Chloe giggled and then squeezed Max's shoulder again. The two of them sat in silence afterwards, lost in their own individual thoughts yet again.

They sat together for another hour or so, watching the sun finally set over the horizon as the entire valley was shrouded in darkness by the end. The cold October air began to bite at their skin as the winds picked up, prompting the girls to shudder a bit as they didn't have any warm clothes for the occasion - in fact, they didn't have any spare clothes at all. Chloe quickly took the initiative as she ended their viewing session now that the entire valley was dark and Mount Rainier was barely visible in the moonlight. Quickly making her way round to the bed of the truck the punk lightly dragged her girlfriend behind her and let go of her hand - lowering the tailgate and jumping up quickly. Chloe walked over to the small chest trunk and opened it, reaching inside and grabbing the light brown blanket and two new ones that she purchased at the service station only earlier in the day. Getting to work instantly the bluenette laid the two blankets out on the bed and draped the light brown one to the side, turning around and walking over to the tailgate.

"C'mere." Chloe softly said as she bent down a bit and held her hand out for Max. The brunette quickly took it and then scrambled up onto the bed with the help of Chloe. The older girl motioned the younger one to lie down on the blankets whilst she walked back over towards the end of the bed. Chloe opened the window in the back of the Ford's cabin as wide as it could go, carefully slipping her torso through it as she reached over towards the radio. She turned it on after struggling for a bit and turned the volume up a notch so that it could be heard in the bed of the truck. After a few moments the bluenette was lowering herself beside her now lying girlfriend, draping the light brown blanket over them both.

Max took the initiative as soon as Chloe laid down and snaked her short arms around the punk, moving close and nuzzling her her face into her chest. Chloe smiled and kissed the top of the brunette's head, using one hand to run her hand through her soft hair whilst her other one began to caress the girl's arm underneath the blanket. Max smiled wide as she shifted her head a bit to look up at the relatively cloudless night - her eyes beginning to reflect the thousands of stars that now decorated the sky.

"It's so pretty." Max spoke quietly as her eyes darted around the different stars, some brighter than others whilst others were dim but much bigger. She saw the biggest one of them all right near the centre - the north star. "I never..- I never knew that you could-.. _see_ so _many_ stars at once. Wowser."

"It's much clearer out here compared to the cities." Chloe began as her inner scientist got to work to impress her girlfriend. "Light pollution. Some cities create so much that they can be seen from nearly a hundred miles away - Las Vegas in particular. It's kinda insane when you realise that the bright light on the horizon isn't the sun rising."

"Alright, Bill Nye. I'm impressed, anything else you wanna tell me?" Max teased and then giggled, snuggling her head into Chloe's chest again. Chloe smiled and kissed her girlfriend's head again.

"Well… have you ever wanted to see the entire milky way in the night sky?" Chloe asked inquisitively as she looked down at the brunette on her chest. Max raised her head slowly as she looked at Chloe, her expression showing a little bit of awe. "You can see it particularly well in the summer, deep in the wilderness. Yellowstone National Park is a good place for it, for example."

"Can..- Can we go there? Next Summer?" Max asked as she kept her gaze on Chloe. The punk lowered her head and pecked her girlfriend's lips, nodding afterwards.

"We'll go wherever you want, whenever you want." Chloe gave Max a squeeze and then looked back up at the starry sky. The brunette lowered her head again and looked up also, trying to spot the different constellations. She slowly raised her free hand from under the blanket, gesturing towards the three stars that were lined up closely to each other.

"Orion's Belt." Max quietly spoke as Chloe nodded. The punk raised her own hand from the blanket and intertwined it with Max's - holding out both their index fingers so they could use it to point at the stars. Chloe slowly moved their hands together towards a group of stars as she began to trace the outline slowly.

"Aquarius." Chloe whispered into her girlfriend's ear as she shuddered. She moved their hands again to trace out another outline. "Aquila." Her hands moved again after a few seconds. "Cygnus."

"W-Wow. How do you know so much about this?" Max was seriously impressed with Chloe's ability to point out the different constellations. She felt as a warm feeling started to pool up in her abdomen, sending a slight shiver through her entire body.

"I told you, I used to be good at science and stuff. Just because I dropped out of high-school doesn't mean I'm stupid, girlfriend. Besides...- I spent a lot of time staring at the stars when you weren't...- around." Chloe chuckled after speaking to try and hide her repressed pain, moving their hands again to another constellation as she slowly traced it, going on for a few seconds and beginning to slow down - her eyes beginning to focus on her girlfriend.

"Which one is that…?" Max asked quietly as Chloe didn't state the name of the constellation she traced.

"Max." Chloe whispered. Max lifted her head up from her girlfriend's chest with a blank expression. After a few moments the girl grinned widely and craned her neck forward, giving her a long kiss. The two of them broke it apart after a few seconds, staring at each other before Max laid her head back down - starting to move their hands around another set of stars as she began to slowly trace her best attempt at a butterfly using whatever stars she could find.

"That one is special. Looks pretty, a butterfly to be exact. Chloe." Max spoke softly and she heard her girlfriend snicker. Chloe moved their hands again as she traced a different constellation, once again making it up - lowering her gaze slowly at her girlfriend as she let their hands wander randomly. She stopped after a few seconds, prompting the brunette to look up from her chest curiously.

Chloe carefully lowered their hands as she stared at her brunette companion, using her own to cup the girl's chin with a hooked finger. She moved in carefully and placed her lips against Max's, starting to kiss her. It started chaste, but quickly moved on. After a few seconds Chloe playfully bit and tugged the girl's lips, running her tongue over her bottom lip as she asked for permission. Max let out a smile at the action and moaned quietly when Chloe used the opportunity to slip her tongue inside. It took Max a few seconds to get used to the feeling but she quickly began to love it as she used her own tongue to run it over the punks - caressing it softly as it explored her mouth. A few more moments passed in relative silence, broken up by the quiet riffs of guitars from the truck cabin, the sound of tongues and lips clashing together as the two girls were making out on the bed.

Max felt as the feeling from before returned, once again originating in her abdomen - this time it came back stronger. It shot bolts of electric current through her, increasing the further the two girls kiss went. She felt as a hand made its way around from the bottom of her chin to the back of her neck, pulling her in closer - Max starting to breathe heavily through her nose as she refused to break up the kiss. Chloe kept the kiss going as she shifted herself from the brunette's side, using the arm that was wrapped around her girlfriend to now support herself as she loomed over the petite girl. She ran her hand from the girl's neck and up into her chestnut brown hair, gripping it playfully and eliciting a few moans into her mouth from the girl. Chloe began feel herself getting warmer, her abdomen swimming with excitement, the feeling increasing each time she heard her girlfriend moan during the kiss - she was getting turned on.

Chloe quickly lowered her hand from the chestnut hair and snaked its way to the chest of the girl below her, slowly making its way down between her breasts. Max felt the hand cup each of her breasts individually and she moaned again, quickly moving both her arms that were helping her sit up to drape them behind her girlfriend's neck, using it for support instead. Chloe felt the sudden weight of the brunette but she didn't care, continuing their kiss as she felt the almost frantic hot breath coming out of her nose at regular intervals - her lungs trying to play catch up to ensure her brain was oxygenated. Her hand started to wonder again after a few more playful tugs at the breasts, slithering down to the abdomen and slowly lifting the shirt up as the brunette quietly whimpered at the cold hand touching her warm skin, the sensation sending goosebumps up her body.

Max's nose eventually couldn't keep up with the girls increased breathing and forced her to part her mouth with her girlfriends for a few seconds. Max craned her neck forward as much as she could as she kept her forehead against Chloe's the two girls staring at each other intensely, letting their lungs fill with air for a few seconds - gathering a supply. Then they went at it again. Chloe kept her hand stroking Max's abdomen, periodically running her finger along the rim of her belly button softly and getting a quiet moan of pleasure back each time. _Got you, Caulfield._ Chloe smiled as she continued to make out with her girlfriend.

The punk suddenly increased the intimacy of the moment, shifting her body over the girl as she placed a leg in between Max's, slowly bringing it forward. Max let out a moan as she felt her girlfriend's leg brush up against her fully covered sex, the feeling being foreign to the girl, prompting herself to tighten her arms around the bluenette's neck and deepen the kiss. Chloe began hearing her body scream for the same treatment as she lowered herself down further, using Max's thigh for help. The two girls started to moan quietly to each other as they kissed, beginning to rhythmically grind. Starting to get hot and heavy, the two of them had to start breaking their kiss apart every couple of seconds to take deep breaths between their moans of pleasure. Chloe felt as her own panties began to get lightly soaked at her sex's interaction with the brunette's thigh, grinding away at regular intervals. Max felt the pooling feeling now almost bursting from her abdominal area, making the girl start moaning louder as she felt herself brush up against Chloe's leg.

"Mmmf. Ch-.. Chloeee.. Mfmm." Max moaned out as she closed her eyes and arched her back a bit, tightening her grip around her girlfriend's neck even more. The two girls were no longer kissing as they had to spend too much effort letting out their moans of pleasure - they didn't even notice when the kiss broke apart. Chloe started to hear Max moaning louder and louder with each quickening thrust of her body, realising that she was close. The punk shook off her sex-induced daze and began to slow down a bit with each thrust instead, lowering herself further and placing her head below Max's head - starting to kiss her neck softly up and down, receiving quieter, less frequent moans in return. Chloe shook her head a bit as she panted, trying to stifle her own sounds as she still felt the brunette's thigh between her own - starting to bite her lip to stop herself. Max's intense moaning was no longer present, beginning to slow down with Chloe's rhythm, allowing herself to pant a bit as well as she was barely riding on the rim of pure ecstasy from the pleasure she just experienced. _W-Wowser._

Chloe lowered herself down a bit after a few more eased thrusts and grinds, panting quietly as she felt a little bit hot and tired from the situation. Max finally relaxed her grip on her girlfriend's shoulder as she lowered herself down slowly, keeping her arms there but allowing the blue punk to rest after holding up her weight the entire time. Chloe and Max both felt as the warm feeling in their abdomen began to fade away as they slowed down and stopped completely - their feelings conflicted about whether they wanted it back or not. Chloe eventually slowed her panting to regular breathing and carefully slumped her head down on her girlfriend's chest with her eyes closed - chuckling to herself.

"S-So… how w-was it, Max?" Chloe eventually stammered out as she calmed down, now completely lowering herself onto the smaller girl - her head on her bust as her arms carefully wrapped around her waist. Max giggled quietly.

"I-It was a-amazing…" Max began quietly as she moved one hand from the top of Chloe's back and started to run it through her electric blue hair, stroking it slowly. "I'm hoping you don't… tease, next time. I want you."

"Absolutely horny, saucy, minx." Chloe exclaimed and began to giggle. She let out a content sigh as she heard Max giggling furiously at her statement. "You're getting the full package next time, Caulfield."

"Can't wait." Max replied quickly through her giggling. She couldn't wait. Today she experienced the most intense pleasure ever and it was because of her girlfriend. Her Chloe. The person that she chose over the thousand other people in Arcadia Bay. Her mind wandered to the storm for a split-second before she shook it off and went over what just happened instead. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of light snoring.

Chloe was absolutely wasted. Not only had she driven the truck for god-knows how many hours at this point, she had also just spent the better part of the hour grinding, almost carrying and pleasuring her girlfriend on the metal bed of a truck. She fell asleep almost instantly after she heard Max's heartbeat against her ear, the soothing beat lulling her to a well-deserved slumber. Max looked down at the mess of electric blue as she realised that at some point during their little 'session' Chloe's beanie fell off. She giggled to herself and looked around the bed, spotting the dark-grey beanie stuffed in between the mess of blankets they were covered with and the ones they were sleeping on. She reached out and grabbed it, shoving it over her head and covering her chestnut hair - closing her eyes afterwards. She fell asleep a few minutes later to the soothing music coming from the cabin.

The soft guitar strumming echoed out of the truck and drowned out the soft snoring, the slow beat covered by the almost husky voice of the male singer that spoke the lyrics in an almost poetic way.

**_** ...My girl, my girl, don't lie to me_ **   
**_Tell me where did you sleep last night_ **

**_In the pines, in the pines_ **   
**_Where the sun don't ever shine_ **   
**_I would shiver the whole night through... **_ **

 


	5. Just What I Needed

_The swirling vortex made it's slowly descent upon the once quaint little town again, starting to rip apart the scenery surrounding the bay. Trees, pines, bushes - everything was sucked into the tornado that found itself only a hundred metres away from its destination._

_Max's right hand shot out again instinctively, repeating the action a few times as she realised she was still powerless. She saw as the wind picked up and swept an entire boat from the waterfront of the town, swallowing it into the vortex before quickly spitting it out towards the lighthouse only a few yards away from the brunette. She quickly jumped out of the way as the boat and the top of the lighthouse came crashing down where she stood._

_The brunette fell on her knees again, putting her hands up to her face as she began to scream as loud as she could, as long as she could. She heard the voices in her head pick up, all of them repeating the same sentence, over and over and over and over. She wanted it all to stop. She clasped her hands onto her ears but the voices simply pierced her brain with the same question._

_"Why are you afraid of the truth, Max?"_

* * *

Chloe jolted awake as she felt the thrashing underneath her, followed by whimpers that pleaded it all to stop. It was still dark - the dawn's early light still hadn't broken through on the horizon. Chloe promptly sat up, doing her best to ignore her body's pleads for more sleep - her arms wrapping around the brunette girl as she pulled her up carefully, Max's head being placed on Chloe's bust. The brunette kept wriggling around, struggling, tears streaming from the eyes that were clamped shut - the punk keeping her close the entire time.

"Mmf-.. no..- p-please-..." Max whimpered out in her nightmare as she ever so slightly resisted against Chloe's grip.

"Shh..- It's only me, Max. It's me - I'm here." Chloe quietly whispered and placed a few quick kisses on the chestnut hair, starting to rock back and forth a bit as she held the girl.

"N-Not…- a-afraid…- nhm." Max continued to writhe around as Chloe kept her close, doing her best to ignore the words and the potential meaning behind them - instead she began to hum quietly into Max's ear. The whimpering continued despite Chloe's efforts, the smaller girl unaffected by her girlfriends gestures and words.

"M-Max, it's alright. Everything is a-alright." Chloe stammered quietly as she kept repeating her motions, rocking the girl and and humming into her ear. Her heart felt the pricks of pain as she watched over the brunette in her arms, her brain trying to think of something to calm her.

"No-... NO!" Max woke up with a loud shout, instinctively trying to struggle against the individual gripping her close. "Ge-.. Get off! N-NO!"

"S-Shit, Max - MAX! It's me, it's me! E-Everything is fine…-" Chloe kept her grip on the girl as the tried to struggle, her meek fist pounding at Chloe's chest as she thought she was being forcefully held - strapped down against her will. The brunette relented after a few seconds and another set of chest pounds, the familiar voice breaking her out of the prison she'd been stuck in. Her eyes quickly shot up and saw her girlfriend looking down, an expression of visible concern on her face.

"Chl-... CHLOE!" Max exclaimed and wrapped her own arms around Chloe, gripping tight as she sobbed quietly. She felt two hands softly running over her back, the punk trying to soothe the now awoken brunette. "Chloe…- y-you're h-here…"

"I'm always here." Chloe kept the girl in an embrace, her hands continuing to soothe the girl as she felt the fabric of her tank-top starting to soak up the tears. Her heart kept thumping away, the pain still very much present as she heard the muffled sobbing. "Always here, Max."

"I-It was t-that fu-fucking storm again! I-..." Max tried to speak but her voice was caught in the back of her throat as she choked on her sobs. Chloe patted Max's back lightly to help her along, still keeping her close as she was afraid of losing the girl, afraid of making her slip back into another nightmare if she wasn't there. "Fu-... The-... asked me… Why I..- fu-fucking fear the t-truth." Max let out another sob, Chloe's heart shrinking as she heard the pain - _the fear_ \- in the sound. Chloe held the girl tighter. "Wh-.. Why m-me? Why…?"

"It's j-just a dream, okay? Just a dream." Chloe whispered into the brunette's ear, Max nuzzling her face in her chest as she kept crying quietly. "You're safe, I'm right here."

It took a few minutes but Max began to calm herself down, Chloe's heartbeat working its magic as she listened to each beat individually. The brunette found it soothing, the rhythm keeping her grounded to the real world in these situations - the heartbeat of the girl that she tore apart time for. She sniffled quietly as she held onto the punk, feeling the light kisses that the older girl was giving her every few seconds to calm her further. The two girls sat there in relative silence afterwards, only broken up by the odd whisper from Chloe telling Max that she loves her. Eventually Max felt confident enough to move away from the embrace as she sat down under the blanket, cross legged.

"I-.. Chlo-... How l-long is this going to last?" Max asked quietly as she looked down at the blanket. "How long do I have to put up with this…- fucking guilt tripping b-bullshit..?"

"I d-don't know." Chloe replied and hung her head, her eyes blankly staring at nothing in particular. She wanted to answer the girl, to tell her that it would be over soon - but she didn't want to lie, didn't want to give false hope to her girlfriend. It hurt not being able to help.

"I j-just want to f-forget it all. It h-hurts so much b-but I hold it d-down…-" Max confessed quietly as she kept her head down, her eyes focused on the light brown blanket. "I'm just t-tired of everything."

"Do you want to talk about it…?" Chloe looked up at the sulking girl, doing her best to keep her own barrier up. She felt the repressed emotions pounding away at the impenetrable shield, the punk keeping it going whilst she spoke again. "You don't need to bottle this up."

"Chloe..- I don't want to fucking d-deal with it! I just w-want it gone. I want only us - not t-this g-guilt tripping nightmare, n-not the memories of A-Arcadia…-" Max did her best to force her stammer down, her tears still falling out of her eyes whilst her sobs subsided. Chloe forced out a weak smile but felt as the edges of her lips were constantly tugged down, the pain of seeing Max like this making it hard to try and be happy.

"Max..- sometimes talking about it helps." Chloe remembered a distinct conversation she had with Rachel once. Her heart tugged at the memory of the hazel eyed, blonde haired angel - the girl that she once loved, the one that was taken from her.

"But I just w-want to forget, not talk!" Max shouted and scowled at the punk, her heart sinking a bit as she saw the girl wince and breathe out slowly. She didn't mean to sound angry, certainly not to Chloe. "S-Sorry."

"It's alright. C'mere." Chloe opened up her legs and shuffled along the bed of the truck, her back resting against the cabin. Max quickly made her way over to her girlfriend and sat in between her legs, her own back resting against the taller girls chest - two strong hands wrapping around her waist as they pulled her in even closer. Max and Chloe sat quietly for a few moments, the darkness around them starting to slowly disperse.

"I want to forget. I want just us, Chlo." Max repeated her previous words after the silence became uncomfortable, the sound of crickets and morning critters now absent. Chloe nodded quietly and kissed Max's neck, her head coming down to rest on the brunette's shoulder.

"Talk to me. Don't hide it Maximus - it only hurts you further, I don't want you to be hurt, m'kay?" Chloe tried to coerce her girlfriend, her gaze resting ahead as she saw two oncoming lights in the dark on the far horizon. Max let out a sigh after a few moment and leaned back further into Chloe, her body wanting to feel as much of the girl near her as possible - her strong presence holding it all together for the girl, stopping her from completely breaking.

"I'm a-afraid." Max began and Chloe nodded softly.

"Understandable after the shit you've been through." Chloe saw the tiny silhouette of the vehicle that was approaching, the headlights still barely visible at the distance the car was at. She furrowed her eyebrows a bit and felt Max shake her head after a second.

"Shit _we've_ been through Chloe." Max corrected her and heard Chloe chuckle quietly.

"Touché." Chloe kept her eyes on the distant light still approaching. The darkness around them had finally begun to lift in earnest - the creaking of pines more prevalent as the wind picked up, birds starting to chatter in the distance.

"We don't know anything about this s-storm. I'm positive it was c-caused by me, you're positive it w-was caused because you-... you…" Max couldn't finish the sentence, Chloe nodding understandingly afterwards so the girl wouldn't have to. The younger girl let out a quiet whimper as she continued her train of thought. "What if it c-comes back…? Chloe, what if I have to chose a-again?"

"Max, Maxie, Maximillion - it won't come back. I have a gut feeling, just trust me okay?" Chloe reassured her girlfriend and left another kiss on her neck, the brunette nodding quietly. She herself had now noticed the moving light in the distance - she didn't think much of it. "What you had to do, the choice - it was f-fucked up, okay? Whatever greater power forced this onto you, tied it to your fate? Fuck 'em, you hear me?"

"M-Mhm." Max giggled quietly at her girlfriends articulation of the issue. Chloe used one hand to grab her girlfriends petite one, bringing it up above their blanket - the punk began to mould the brunette's fingers into the classic middle-finger.

"C'mon, say it with me." Chloe brought up her own hand above her and proudly waved around her middle finger. Max hesitated for a second and did the same, giggling as her heart felt lightened by the simple gesture that seemingly meant so much. "Fuck 'em!"

"Fuck 'em!" Max repeated after Chloe and laughed afterwards.

"That's right, fuck whoever or whatever forced this onto you - nobody should have to make that choice." Chloe lowered her hand with Max's, proceeding to intertwine their fingers a bit awkwardly. The two girls readjusted their grip a few times before finally perfecting it - both of them smiling. "E-Everyone that d-died? It _wasn't_ your fault, okay? Don't beat yourself up over it."

"It isn't t-that easy, Chlo." Max spoke and heard Chloe nod - the punk realised quickly that it was the wrong thing to say. Max did her best to keep composed, the heavy feeling of guilt hanging over her the entire time at the mention of her choice.

"S-Shit. I shouldn't have said that, sorry. I-... I can't even imagine-..." Chloe began but was stopped when Max brought one hand up to her lips, the brunette turning around a bit in her embrace - her index finger being held over her mouth as she shushed her girlfriend.

"D-Don't - it's n-not something I want to t-talk about right now." Max saw as Chloe nodded after a moment, her finger still lingering over her tender lips. She dropped it after a moment of hesitation, turning back around into her original position.

"Got it." Chloe promptly replied and resumed her own position, her chin resting on Max's shoulder. Chloe noticed the lights in the distance getting more visible - the silhouette of the vehicle now starting to come into focus. She narrowed her eyes a bit and squinted, trying to make it out. "Max, promise me something…?"

"...what?" Max replied after a few moments. Chloe left yet another kiss on her neck, the brunette shivering at the sensation.

"Everytime this happens - these n-nightmares, your doubts…? Tell me, okay? I'll drop everything to hear you out - don't bottle this up." Chloe shifted her head back towards the moving vehicle ahead. The early dawn's light had begun to break through the horizon - the shining orb ever so slowly peering over the edge as it cast an orange glow.

"I promise." Max shifted in her position a bit and looked over her shoulder, meeting Chloe's eyes halfway as they stared at each other. "W-What about you Chlo? I don't want you to feel the same s-shit and hide it for me. P-Please don't do that."

"I'll be fine." Chloe lied and held her breath, hoping the brunette wouldn't catch on. Max looked over her eyes and finally nodded. The punk moved her head forward a bit and kissed Max, the brunette reciprocating softly as they held the sensation for a few seconds.

"Thank you, t-this actually helped a bit." Max moved away and truthfully spoke - the guilt, the sickening emotion that hung over her began to dissipate. It wasn't completely gone, oh no, it was simply repressed for now as it hid away in the depths until the next nightmare - Max had to start coming to terms with that.

"I k-knew it would. Uhm-... Rachel used to do this a lot with me." Chloe once again felt her heart tugged at the memory of the blonde. She refocused herself on the road ahead. "We'd sit in American Rust and I'd t-talk, smoke weed - confess all my feelings to her. She w-was a good listener, y'know?" Her free hand absently played with Max's shirt, their intertwined fingers locking perfectly in their other hand. "It's going to t-take some practice, but I'll hear you out each time you need me t-to, okay?"

Max stayed quiet and felt a bit of dread crawl up her spine, the mention of the dead girl being in ill taste. Her heart jostled against her chest slightly as the jealousy enveloped it again - she did her best to push it down but stopped after a second. Chloe's words rang through her head, the promise she just swore to uphold being thrust forward.

"C-Chloe…?" Max began as she bit her lip, not sure if bringing her jealousy would be appropriate right now.

"Yep?" Chloe absentmindedly replied, her eyes lazily resting on the still approaching vehicle - she could almost make it out by now.

"I-... I'm kinda jealous…" Max confessed and quickly hid her face in her hands, the blush already present on her cheeks as it painted them a rosy red. Chloe giggled and kissed Max's chestnut hair, her two hands making their way over Max's own as they began to pull them away.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's fine." Chloe spoke and managed to move Max's hands away, lowering them to the brunettes chest as her own two hands held them tight. "You're already keeping your promise, that makes me happy y'know?"

"I just think… Isn't it kind of…- morbid…? I'm jealous of a girl who-... y'know.." Max wasn't sure how to put it into words. Chloe understood and squeezed her tighter, head resting on her shoulder again.

"I know. You want to know something…?" Chloe spoke quietly and kept her eyes ahead. Dawn had now begun in earnest - the ambient sounds of the world waking up around them, light dancing over the hills and escarpments of nearby cliffs. "Rachel-... she n-never… - _loved_ \- me like that..-"

"O-Oh. But y-you…?" Max stammered out awkwardly and felt the punk squeeze her again.

"Y-Yeah, I did. She loved me as a f-friend. It hurt…- I won't lie." Chloe started to trace patterns on Max's hands with her fingers, the brunettes soft skin was cold to the touch. Max let out a quiet, conflicted sigh for the punk's plight - the unrequited love between her and Rachel obviously something that both reassured her and made her sad. "You want to know something else…?"

"Mhm?"

"I love you. More than anything. I-.. won't lie and say that I don't miss Rachel. I _hella_ miss her. Yet my best friend, the friend who left 5 years ago, the one who I thought forgot me after all these years and moved on with her life - she came back to me." Chloe kissed Max's cheek and stared at her, the brunette keeping her gaze forward. "I crushed on you hard when we were tweens. I was never-... never really the _same_ , y'know? I felt like a piece of me was always missing, like I was an incomplete puzzle, even after Rachel and I met."

"Chlo.."

"I don't feel incomplete anymore. Max, you don't ever need to feel jealous - you're _the girl_ that I want to spend _my life_ with." Chloe kissed Max's cheek again as she saw it turn bright red. If the situation permitted, Chloe would be in a perfect place to propose to her girlfriend right now - alas it wasn't so. Wasn't so _yet_ , anyway. She giggled and rested her head on her shoulder again, staring towards the road and noticing the vehicle from before was only a couple hundred metres away.

"You're too g-good for me." Max quietly replied and kept blushing, the wind starting to pick up a bit as the cold stung her rosy cheeks. Chloe chuckled and shook her head, the motion easily distinguishable as her chin dug into Max's shoulder.

"I think it's _you_ that's too good for _me_. Max, I was an asshole for the past 5 years and hated everything and everyone - I didn't deserve to even have your attention, nevermind have _all_ of you." Chloe ran her hands back from Max's as they still clutched to her chest - snaking their way down to her waist and resting there. "I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"I think you are - your girlfriend bent time and space so that you could be with her." Max joked around as she felt her mood lifting from its dark place, their serious conversation working wonders on her psyche. Talking _really_ helped.

"Touché once again." Chloe chuckled to herself and gave Max a kiss on the cheek again, the brunette giggling. "Guess that our talk was good?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you again." Max turned her head a bit and left her own kiss on Chloe's cheek, the punk nodding and patting Max's abdomen with one hand.

"Just remember that I'm always with you, m'kay? Talk to me when you need to. This is going to be a work-in-progress for both of us, so don't ever hesitate girlfriend." Chloe moved backwards slowly, allowing the two girls to lie down more comfortably against the cabin. Max had now nestled her head underneath Chloe's chin, the punk holding her head just above as she watched the approaching vehicle.

Her eyes instantly shifted to the colour pattern - black and white. She managed to make out the make of the vehicle too - Dodge - some kind of new model. Her heartbeat increased as she saw the red and blue light bar across the top - a natural reaction to seeing the authorities as a menacing, world-hating punk. _Awh, shit._

"W-Wowser - what the hell are the cops doing out here?" Max quietly spoke as she herself spotted the approaching cruiser. Both of them shifted in their place a bit but kept their embrace, their eyes following the vehicle on its slow approach.

The muscle-car rolled past the inlet where the Ford was parked, the officer inside shooting a curious glance at the two girls - his eyebrows raised as he noticed they were covered in a blanket. He quickly figured that it probably wasn't his place to ask - not wanting to disturb whatever was going on. That and also the fact that he had no reason to _'pull over'_ the truck - it was legally parked and the two girls in the back didn't seem to be breaking the law. A loud screech, a blur and the whiff of burnt rubber - the Dodge was speeding away from the truck and on towards its original destination.

Max let out a sigh of relief as her body shuddered a bit under the blanket, the girl unsure whether it was the nerves letting off or the cold wind that was now picking up. Chloe left a quick kiss on her scalp and rubbed her abdomen again, warming up the girl with both gestures - the girl feeling safe in her arms as her presence washed over her. They sat there quietly and heard the vehicle fading out of earshot - the ambient noise of nature now filling their ears once again.

Light had begun to shine out over the entire valley by now. Morning shadows danced over the meadows and streams below, the cold and wispy mist spreading throughout every nook and cranny of the view. A bright light had reflected off the snow-capped peak of Mount Rainier, the glint of the mountain attracting attention from all around. Max and Chloe had shifted their gaze towards it and kept it there, taking in the beauty as they noticed each detail, each unique feature of the mountain - both of them smiled. They sat there for a couple of minutes whilst Chloe gazed over the top of Max's head, the brunette tucked underneath her head comfortably.

"You should take a picture." Chloe spoke up and broke the blissful silence.

"Uhm…- I don't know.." Max spoke - she wasn't feeling so sure about taking pictures anymore. She had used a few polaroids to travel back in time, changed realities so much that she had completely remade the future multiple times - she wasn't so keen on repeating that experience, not after she had lived through the storm that she might've caused.

"Ohw, c'mon. Get up girl." Chloe begun to stand up, her hands gripping Max's waist she brought her up with her. The brunette giggled and squirmed as she was brought up, the strong hands around her not relenting their grip the entire way up. Chloe finally managed to hoist her up, standing her upright as she still held her back against her chest - their blanket fell off them and curled up at their feet. Her mouth guided itself towards her ear as she spoke quietly. "Where's your camera?"

"My bag, I think…?" Max wasn't sure, she hadn't used her camera since Arcadia. She felt the two hands around her waist loosen their grip - Max quickly brought her own hands onto the arms and pulled them back in. "D-Don't go."

"Chillax, I'm only getting your camera." Chloe realised that her girlfriend was still slightly sensitive after their serious conversation. She left a kiss on Max's cheek and moved away again, this time the brunette allowed her to do so. Chloe jumped off the bed quickly and pulled open the passenger side door, her body gliding inside as she looked for the camera bag. She extended her hands and opened it up, retrieving the old polaroid camera - William's old camera. Chloe felt a shiver work its way from her hand to her neck and back, memories of her father taking pictures flooding in. She shook it off and slammed the door shut.

"Chlo, it's getting c-cold." Max felt her teeth jitter as a gust of wind blew past her. Chloe laughed and jumped back up onto the bed, waltzing over towards Max and slipping her arm around her shoulder. Max took the old polaroid camera from her girlfriend and looked it over.

"Take a picture and leggo." Chloe ushered the brunette to hurry.

Max played around with the camera for a moment as she hesitated, her senses being thrown back into her as the wind once again blew past. Chloe turned towards the valley and moved Max along with her, pulling her in closer so the brunette wouldn't be too cold. Max finally raised the camera and held it out above the couple as she gave her warmest smile - her finger pushing the button.

_*snap*_

_*whirrr*_

The girl saw the familiar white glossy paper snake out of the camera, the phantom black square starting to quickly develop. Her hand drifted over to the picture as she took it out, giving it a light shake to help it develop - a quirk of hers that _didn't actually_ _help_ with the development of the polaroid. Her heart stopped as she saw the picture - her hand letting it go almost immediately as she gasped, her knees buckling beneath her.

The brunette was sitting in an armchair, bound to the leather seat with tape - a white photo backdrop contrasting the dark colours. She was wearing her usual getup, her usual hairstyle and plain face reflecting off the polaroid - her mouth taped shut as her eyes were wide open, implying she was awake. She wasn't - she was drugged.

_'I'm getting some spectacular images here, Max.'_

_'Hold that stare there!'_

_'Maybe a new dose will calm you down…'_

"Max?" Chloe exclaimed as she caught the girl before she fell, holding her in both her arms - struggling a bit as she wasn't prepared for the brunette to suddenly crumple. She looked down at the girl and saw her blank eyes, her stare being held forward - reminiscent of the thousand yard stare she had on the day of the storm. Chloe began to panic, shaking her girlfriend slightly. "Max? Please, talk to me - Max?!"

"I-.. uhm… Chloe…?" Max tried to collect herself as Chloe's voice broke her out of her hallucination, her thoughts adrift in her head as she focused on trying to shake off her encounter with Jefferson. She regained her footing and stood up on her own, Chloe quickly pulling her into a hug and placing her head on her chest - the punk kissing Max's forehead after a moment. The brunette tried to speak, her jaw flapping open a few times as words struggled to form in her mouth. "I…-.."

"Max, it's alright." Chloe spoke quietly and then looked down at the polaroid that was lying on the blanket beneath them. She felt her own heart beating frantically in panic - she had almost lost the girl again, the brunette being distracted by another damn dark thought, another run in with her past.

"I-It was J-Jefferson…" Max began but broke up after the first few words, a quiet sob escaping as she realised the memory - her encounter with the psychopath photography teacher. Something so simple as her own photography, an attempt to capture a moment with her girlfriend, had triggered her memories of the time she was psychologically molested by that mentally unstable freak. Chloe held Max tighter, swaying side to side slightly in a rhythm.

"You're safe, Max. I'm here." Chloe spoke and kept their sway even, ignoring the bitter sting of the cold wind that had enveloped the couple. "He won't ever touch you again."

Max closed her eyes and nodded, crying a few muffled tears into her punk's tank-top. Chloe looked around them and saw how clouds started to gather around - casting a gloomy shadow over everything, almost completely drowning Mount Rainier in its swirling darkness. Her eyes lowered themselves to the polaroid lying in the blankets again, the two girls staring back up at her. She bent her knees a bit and brought Max with her, the two of them kneeling down as the brunette kept her face in Chloe's chest. The punk grabbed the polaroid and brought it up to her face, smiling at the result.

Max and Chloe stood next to each other, the punk giving her girlfriend a big smooch on the cheek, whilst in the background a ray of light broke through the clouds and basked Mount Rainier with a warm glow. Pockets of green and blue could be made out between a few gaps in the picture, remnants of the meadows and streams that dotted the actual valley behind them. She shook her girlfriend a bit and kissed her temple, getting her attention.

"Hey, look - it's perfect." Chloe softly spoke and saw the brunette shift her gaze at the polaroid. Her sulky expression slowly changed to a faint smile, the simple thing causing the brunette some joy after her small breakdown.

"T-This one is going in the family album." Max eventually spoke quietly, her words eliciting a chuckle from Chloe.

"Family, huh? Who's the one scheming behind the others back now?" Chloe teased as she moved in towards Max's cheek and left a her a simple smooch. Max giggled and took the polaroid from Chloe, running her thumb over the two faces it had contained - they looked happy.

The two girls turned towards the valley again as they stood arm in arm, watching the last vestiges of the morning light dance across the expanse. Eventually the clouds started to gather around as they cast a gloomy shadow over everything, almost completely drowning Mount Rainier in its swirling darkness. Chloe took this as a cue to clean up before they'd be drenched. Max and Chloe quickly jumped off the bed and began to gather up the blankets, taking the light brown one with them to the cabin but leaving the rest in the small chest trunk in the bed of the truck. Chloe slammed the door shut behind her as she saw droplets of water begin falling down on the windshield - turning around and closing the rear cabin window.

"Im hungryyyy." Max pouted a bit as the truck engine rumbled to life, easing the truck forward a bit before Chloe merged them onto the road again. The punk shot her a short gaze and then smiled, using the hand on the clutch to point towards the bags in the leg space of Max's seat.

"There's some stuff in there, mostly junk food. I'll pull into a town somewhere and get us some proper food…?" Chloe now looked straight at her girlfriend as she was easing her foot into the pedal - Max nodding back to answer her query.

"It'll do for now." The brunette replied to Chloe and then curled her legs up under her, leaning down as she grabbed one of the bags and peered inside. After a few moments she retrieved a big packet of pizza flavoured potato chips and tore it open in ravenous hunger. Chloe raised her eyebrow at the sounds and shot her a glance, laughing loudly as she saw the brunette now stuffing her face with chips.

Chloe shifted her hand from the clutch and started to play around with the radio, finding a station with some semi-decent music and turning the volume up. She looked over at Max again as she placed the bag of chips in between them so they could share, prompting the punk to reach inside and grab a few of them for herself. The bluenette munched on the chips as she kept one hand on the wheel, leaning forward a bit and looking at the sky - rain was now starting to steadily cover the windshield, the wipers doing their damnedest to keep up with the torrent of water washing down the glass.

Eventually the girls finished their junk food as Max took out two water bottles and opened one for Chloe, allowing the punk to take a long deserved drink after eating through the whole packet of chips. Max quickly shuffled her way over to her girlfriend as she slumped her back against her shoulder, propping her legs up on the dashboard and closing her eyes - listening to the sound of rain pattering away against the roof of the truck cabin. Music echoed out from the radio, the sound bouncing around the truck as Chloe bobbed her head to the guitar riff's included.

**_** ...I don't mind you hangin' out_ **   
**_And talkin' in your sleep_ **   
**_It doesn't matter where you've been_ **   
**_As long as it was deep, yeah_ **

**_You always knew to wear it well and_ **   
**_You look so fancy I can tell_ **   
**_I don't mind you hangin' out_ **   
**_And talkin' in your sleep_ **

**_I guess, you're just what I needed_ **   
**_I needed someone to feed_ **   
**_I guess, you're just what I needed_ **   
**_I needed someone to bleed... **_ **


	6. Bark At The Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, there's a slightly explicit scene near the end of the chapter.

 

The brunette sat on the tailgate of the old 1986 Ford F150, her legs slowly swinging as she adjusted her jet black aviators. Looking up from her seat she saw the old brick building which was once an office of some sort, probably a newspaper agency - now containing a 24/7 fast food joint and a Starbucks. She scrunched her nose a bit as she gazed at the door and waited patiently for her girlfriend to come back, trying to busy herself by focusing on her swinging legs. A few quiet moments passed before she let out a sigh and reclined back on her elbows, looking up at the sunny sky and closing her eyes - letting the warm rays hit her as she relaxed. She let her thoughts drift back to yesterday, to the morning talk that she had with Chloe after their Mount Rainier visit.

Chloe pushed the door open with her hip, walking out of the fast food joint with a paper bag in one hand and a styrofoam cup holder containing coffee in the other. She shot a gaze over at her rusty Ford and saw her girlfriend basking in the sun on the tailgate, her face making her usual cute scrunched up expression of _I'm lost in my own thoughts and I need my girlfriend to kiss me to wake me up_. At least that's what Chloe _decided_ it meant. The punk smiled and quickly crossed the road - approaching the truck, slowing herself down to make as least noise as possible. A few seconds later the brunette was within arms reach of Chloe as she carefully lowered the paper bags and the holder on the truck bed - ensuring to make almost no possible sound, even though the chance of Max hearing anything when she's drifting in her own thoughts was near impossible.

Max felt a looming presence over her for a second before a hand wrapped itself around her neck and pulled her forward into a kiss. She was instantly snapped out of her thoughts. Chloe bit and tugged at Max's lips as she waited for her to relent, quickly slipping her tongue inside and starting to explore her mouth - Max immediately started to stroke her tongue with her own. The two girls kept the kiss going for a few more seconds before Chloe broke it slowly, moving her head away as she grinned. Max opened her eyes and saw her bluenette girlfriend in front of her. The brunette immediately shot her hands and head forward as she pulled the girl back into the kiss, forcing her own tongue inside Chloe's mouth for a change - the kiss lasting longer this time.

"Uhm. We're getting a f-few stares." Max eventually spoke as she pulled out of the kiss, embarrassed as her cheeks turned a bit red - they hadn't kissed like that in public before. Max _liked it_ , even though it felt a bit awkward. Chloe looked around and saw as people stared at the two girls making out in ultra conservative Hicktown, WA. She chuckled and then gestured the girl towards the truck, the brunette promptly jumping off the tailgate and making her way over to her side. The punk slammed the tailgate shut and took their coffee and food, looking around as she saw that a few people were still staring at them - mostly by a few middle-aged couples who were packing their cars with grocery bags as their kids ran around them screaming. _God forbid your children learn that girl's can kiss each other._

Chloe turned the key in the ignition and waited for a moment whilst the engine sputtered to life - the old junker coughing up dangerous chemicals behind it in a cloud of grey smoke. The radio burst into life with the heavy guitar and drum combo - the lyrics flooding out immediately as they drowned out both the girl's thoughts.

**_** ...Years spent in torment_ **   
**_Buried in a nameless grave_ **   
**_Now he has risen_ **   
**_Miracles would have to save_ **   
**_Those that the beast is looking for_ **   
**_Listen in awe and you'll hear him_ **

**_Bark at the moon_ **

**_Hey, bark at the moon... **_ **

The punk's hands immediately shot towards the dials and turned the volume down, her gaze meeting Max's apologetically. She quickly steered the truck out of the parking lot they were in and hit the open road.

Less than 10 miles later the truck came to a stop in a small forest clearing, dense woods surrounding it on all sides as far as the eye could see - a simply dirt road snaked it's way past. Max giggled as she quickly snatched the paper bag with their food and jumped out of the truck, hearing her girlfriend shouting.

"THIEF!" Chloe exclaimed as she jumped out of the truck and slammed the door, quickly running around the side. Max looked at her girlfriend on the other side of the truck bed as she stared back, the girls trying to read each others next move. The brunette quickly ran towards the front of the truck as the punk ran around the back towards her, the two chasing each other in a circle as a flurry of laughing and giggles erupted in the quiet forest clearing. Max felt as two strong arms wrapped around her waist a few seconds later and quickly lifted her up as she began to squeal and squirm playfully.

"CHLOEEE!" Max shrieked as she was carried over towards the tailgate of the truck, carefully put down on the ground once they were only a few feet away. She immediately turned around and looked up at her laughing girlfriend, a fake scowl present on herself. She couldn't hold it for long as she saw her girlfriend laughing so hard - the punk looked completely carefree. Max began to giggle and quickly pulled down the tailgate for the two of them, hoisting herself up and watching as Chloe sat down next to her moments later.

They sat on the tailgate of the truck and ate their food quietly, occasionally breaking the silence with a question to one another, both of them continuing their daily catch up session - 5 years was a _long_ time and this road trip was as much about catching up as it was about helping them deal with the past week. Max had heartily ate a taco with double cheese and nachos, some large fries and drank a cup of coffee to go with. Chloe had the old and trusted double cheeseburger with a large side of fries and a coffee also. The two girls chowed down on their main course before they started to eat their fries, looking around the quiet forest.

"So you're telling me that you never sent me _any_ of those letters?" Chloe asked as she put a few fries in her mouth and chewed on them, looking at her girlfriend. Max looked down for a moment and nodded.

"I told you that I was s-scared about what you thought after-... y'know." Max looked back up and took her coffee, sipping it out of her cup and watching Chloe. The punk nodded understandingly and kept looking at the brunette.

"I was scared too, Max. I was scared too." Chloe put her hand on Max's thigh and gave it a squeeze, reassuring the brunette. "Still, it blows my mind to think that you've written dozens of letters to me yet none of them ever came."

"Mhm…" Max agreed and felt a bit embarrassed at her confession. The brunette had spent months upon months in her room after school, writing letters and placing them in envelopes - all of them addressed to her best friend. She didn't send any of them - she was far too scared and it reflected on her personality in Seattle. "Chloe…?"

"Yeah?" Chloe took another bundle of fries and chewed on them, washing it down with her coffee.

"What do you…- What do you think _we_ would be if…- if we kept in contact…?" Max wondered for a second and stared at Chloe. The punk rested her eyes on Max's own for a few moments, her fingers lazily drifting over the rim of her coffee cup.

"We'd be long-distance girlfriends in high school, that's for sure." Chloe winked at Max and chuckled when she saw the girl smile back. "After William…- I'd probably recover faster with you writing to me. I'd still turn into a punk though so I could have _some_ street cred, y'know?" Chloe sipped on her coffee again and swirled it around in the cup, watching the black liquid slosh inside.

"I-... I just think back to Seattle and my high school-... Some deep part of me wishes that you were there for me, helping me during some of the shit I had to deal with. High school sucked for me." Max spoke quietly and shoved a few fries into her own mouth. Chloe kept her eyes on Max as she looked around the clearing they were in, watching the different types of trees and pines in the forest that surrounded them. Chloe squeezed her girlfriend's thigh again, smiling.

"At least you didn't get kicked out, hmm?" Chloe looked at the forest around them herself, the quiet chirping of birds and a distant woodpecker creating ambient noise. "Want to know a fun, albeit slightly grim, fact...?"

"My favourite." Max rolled her eyes slightly and heard Chloe chuckle.

"I was going to ask you out that day." Chloe spoke and stared straight at Max. The brunette froze in her place and looked at the punk - their eyes meeting as they locked together. Chloe cleared her throat and ran her hand up and down Max's thigh. "The day that Will..- _dad_ \- never came back…"

"Chlo-.."

"I spoke to him earlier that day, before you came over. Remember how I wasn't in class for like an entire week?" Chloe looked at Max and saw her nod. "I was crushing on you so damn hard. I couldn't even speak properly around you anymore - that's why I told you I had a terrible, terrible cold and my throat was absolutely killing me."

"You _do_ know that I never fell for that, right…? That was such a weaksauce excuse." Max smiled at Chloe, the punk laughing quietly at the response. "You were always a terrible liar around me. Still are too."

"Oh, shut up - I am not a terrible liar!" Chloe exclaimed as she feigned shock and anger, Max quickly responding by falling into a giggling fit.

"Oh you so are! I can see right through you most the time." Max raised her hand and poked Chloe in the ribs, the punk growling quietly in return. Max lowered her gaze for a moment and took a sip of her coffee, eventually looking back up. "W-What did you talk about...?"

"Uhm. You, mostly." Chloe confessed quietly and looked down, her girlfriend's hand drifting over her own. "I-... I told him about my crush, how I've been flunking school for that week because of you. He-... He really understood, y'know?"

"William was like that." Max conceded to Chloe and received a nod in agreement. William had always been a kind soul, always willing to listen to people's problems and help them however he could - especially if it included two of his favourite daughters.

"I m-miss him." Chloe quietly replied and sulkily dropped her head. Max quickly shifted in her place and pulled Chloe in an embrace, resting her blue nest of hair on her nearly flat chest. The punk sniffled quietly and snaked her own arms around her girlfriend's waist, keeping the embrace. "I m-miss him _so_ much."

"I do too." Max placed her head in Chloe's hair, the scent of the punk strong in her nose as she inhaled it quietly. Her heart tugged at the memories of William - he was like a second father to Max.

Chloe continued to sit in Max's embrace, letting herself calm down as she felt the petite girl holding her. Max was very much the same strong, safe presence that the Chloe was to her - they were each other's glue, filling in the cracks and holding them both together amongst the sea of darkness they often found themselves in. The punk sniffled again after a few minutes and ran her hand under her nose, slowly moving away from the brunette. Max stared at her girlfriend as she sat upright again, finishing off her coffee quietly.

Max decided that Chloe wanted to be alone for a moment - she scooted off the tailgate and started to wander over towards the tree line around the clearing, hands behind her back as she kept looking up at the tree tops and breathing in the air - the smell of the forest hung heavily in the area. She stopped for a second as she gazed at the floor, bending over quickly and grabbing a nice looking pinecone - inspecting it closely as she ran her fingers over it. She smiled and placed the pinecone back down a few moments later.

The swaying of the trees and pines kept creating a low creaking rhythm, periodically joined by the sound of birds and woodpeckers deeper in the forest. It was a soothing melody, one that allowed Max to clear her mind of all the thoughts that oh-so-wanted to break out constantly and scream at her - her memories of Arcadia and the Storm still fresh in her mind. A few minutes passed whilst Max kept her eyes closed and listened to it all. She kept them closed after she heard twigs snapping behind her, silent footsteps approaching as two strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her back ever so slightly.

"Heyy… whatcha thinkin' about?" Chloe whispered into Max's ear as she placed her mouth next to it, feeling as the girl shuddered a bit at the contact. The brunette smiled wide, her eyes still closed.

"Mm - everything about _this_. It's just so…- relaxing. Out here, in the woods and among everything." Max felt the hot breath of her girlfriend on her ear, biting her lip a bit. "I love it all. I love you especially."

"Glad you're liking it so far - day's still young." Chloe whispered into her ear again and then gave it a light kiss, squeezing the brunette a bit. "Love you."

"Where ya taking us next dork?" Max spoke softly, slightly reclining into Chloe's body.

"Well…- I _did_ want to drive us out to a cabin somewhere…-." Chloe started to shuffle back a bit towards the truck, carefully taking her girlfriend with her as Max stepped backwards in unison with Chloe.

" _Did...?_ " Max repeated and opened her eyes, her eyebrow raised a bit.

"To be honest, I'm kinda beat with all the driving…- How about we hang out here for the day? We can go for a walk in the woods, set up the tent…" Chloe kissed Max's ear again as they approached the truck. "We can chill and cuddle at night when it gets cold. _Brr._ "

"Mm. I like the sound of that." Max felt as Chloe slowly lifted her and put her down on the tailgate, the punk quickly taking her own place next to her. The two girls began to finish their fries and coffee in silence, the brunette spending her time to look around them once again.

"How about another photo…?" Chloe suggested quietly, watching Max as the girl furrowed her eyebrows for a bit. "C'mon."

"I don't k-know Chlo.." Max began to shake hear head a bit. She didn't want to trigger another memory from the dark room, not after she had experienced it yesterday - today was far too perfect for something so stupid to ruin it all for her and Chloe.

"C'maawn." Chloe pouted a bit and took Max's hand, sliding off the tailgate and tugging it towards her. "I'm right here Max - you're safe, m'kay?"

"Uhm-... O-Okay." Max felt a bit better after hearing her girlfriends words, the simple things giving her some confidence that she needed. She slid off the tailgate herself, Chloe watching her whilst she slowly shifted in her position and turned around, grabbing her polaroid camera from the camera bag propped up on the side of the bed. She gave it a quick look over and then gazed up at her bluenette girlfriend, flashing a weak but loving smile. Chloe led them quickly to the edge of the clearing near the densest part of the forest - they wrapped their arms around each other and hugged, heads together for the picture. Max held up the camera and clicked.

_*snap*_

_*whirrr*_

Max reached over to the picture but hesitated, not wanting to see the result - afraid of another hallucination, another damn picture of herself in the dark room. Chloe noticed and took the photo out of the slit herself - looking over it with a large smile.

The picture contained two girls mid-kiss, eyes locked in a loving gaze, their surroundings consisting of different varieties of pines and trees as the light rays struggled to shine through the thick canopy. Chloe saw Max looking away, not wanting to see the developed polaroid as the fear embraced her entire body. The punk brought one hand up to the brunette's cheek and turned her head towards her - the polaroid beside her pale face. Max looked it over for a second and began to smile herself - the fear dissipating shortly as the polaroid didn't contain anything out of the ordinary.

"See? It's perfect." Chloe gave it her nod of approval and placed a kiss on Max's cheek.

"It's o-okay…" Max spoke and grabbed the polaroid, looking it over closely. Chloe rolled her eyes at her girlfriends doubts and pulled her in using the arm around her shoulder.

"It's not ' _okay'_ Max - It's _perfect_. You're a hella good photographer, stop doubting that." Chloe spoke up and looked at Max - the girl switching her focus between the photo and Chloe for a few seconds.

"I w-wish I could believe that..-" Max began and felt as Chloe immediately spun her around and wrapped her arms around her own, pinning them down to her chest and holding tight. "Chloeeee..."

"Say that it's perfect." Chloe spoke and squeezed the girl. Max shook her head as she refused.

"No."

"Say that it's perfect or _else_..."

"No…-"

"That's it." Chloe instantly moved in for a tickle attack, her hands starting to jab at Max's sides as the brunette squealed, unable to get away as the bluenette kept her hold on her.

"CHLOEE!" Max exclaimed and writhed around in Chloe's arms, doing her best to swat away the hands that kept jabbing her sides - she was giggling uncontrollably as the sensations kept forcing her body to jolt in different directions.

"Say that it's perfect!" Chloe spoke loudly over her own giggling, her hands quickening as Max was struggling to hold off the attack, fingers now joining in as they moved in their own motions whenever they touched the brunette. " _P-E-R-F-E-C-T!_ "

"O-OKAY!" Max shouted above her own giggles as she managed to finally get some words out of her mouth. Chloe relented her attack for a few seconds and gripped onto Max's waist as they pulled her in close - the punk staring straight down at Max.

"Say it…" Chloe warned Max as she narrowed her eyes, her hands slowly drifting up as they prepared a contingency plan. Max bit her lip a bit as she tried to think of something to get herself free - her mind unable to come up with a plan. She let out a sigh and dropped her head into Chloe's chest.

"It's _perfect_." Max's muffled voice came out from underneath Chloe, the punk giggling in victory.

"That's more like it." Chloe rested her head on Max's chestnut hair and stared at the parked truck just head. "Now, how about that walk girlfriend?"

"Sounds nice right about now…" Max moved her head away and stared up at Chloe, the taller girl looking back down with a smile.

"Take your camera - you're taking pictures." Chloe spoke and began to shove Max lightly towards the truck, her legs moving side to side beside her as she tried to walk them both forward.

"But-..."

"No butts, Max. You're _taking_ pictures, end of - I want all of this memorised, got me?" Chloe spoke and kept shoving Max, the brunette rolling her eyes. "Hey, you don't want to make your girlfriend sad now, do you…?"

"I guess not…-" Max relented as she saw Chloe's face turn into a pout, her cute puppy eyes instantly working wonders on the girl.

"Score!" Chloe exclaimed and smiled wide, finally reaching the truck with Max. Her hands let go of the brunette as she walked around, closing the doors of rusty old Ford - the tailgate being slammed shut promptly afterwards. She picked up their trash and shoved it into the paper bag that had come with, the brown bag itself being thrown into the truck to be disposed of later. Max kept quiet the entire time as she looked around the clearing they were in, wondering what direction they should go in first.

Chloe stuck out her hand towards Max and waited for her, the brunette quickly intertwining their fingers and dropping their hands beside each other. Chloe let out a smile that created an aura of happiness, the feeling enshrouding Max quickly as she herself smiled back.

"Leggo."

* * *

The two girls quietly walked hand-in-hand through the woods, the eerie creaking of the pines and the chattering of the birds creating an ambient sound around them - a peaceful atmosphere crafted specifically for the moment. Chloe kept her head down as she thought over what Max had told her just a few minutes ago, her heart aching slightly as she didn't quite realise just how much Seattle had actually _sucked_ for the brunette. Max kept her gaze forward and didn't think much of it - what happened was behind her, she focused herself on the future now.

"M-Max, I hella swear I would've goddamn beat that kid to a pulp if I was there." Chloe eventually broke the silence and looked at her girlfriend - the brunette let out a weak smile but kept her eyes forward. "I just-... I didn't know."

"It's fine, Chlo. I'm over it." Max spoke back softly and squeezed Chloe's hand. "After a few months I had gotten used to it."

"I-... S-Shit." Chloe couldn't find the right words as her mind kept going over the confession. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."

"Don't be - you had no idea of what was happening. I didn't send you texts, messages, letters… I completely buried myself, it was my fault." Max switched her gaze to the woods around them, her hearing focused on the soothing songs of the birds high above.

"It wasn't your fault. I-I should've called you, gone to Seattle or s-something…- Fuck." Chloe beat herself up over the fact that she wasn't there for Max. The brunette simply squeezed her hand again, the punk promptly returning it this time. "I didn't know that it was that bad."

"Chloe, it's _behind_ me. Just drop it - I hate bringing it up, o-okay?" Max spoke with a frustrated tone, obviously wanting to drop the topic already. "Seriously - it's in the past now."

Chloe nodded and kept walking alongside her girlfriend. Her face still held its blank expression, her mind conflicted about what she should do - she _wanted_ to tell the brunette she was safe, that it'd never happen again. Yet Max's words rang through her head, the tone obviously betraying her feelings on the subject - she didn't want to bring it up because they were bad memories.

"Hey…" Chloe stopped in her tracks and kept her grip on Max's hand, the brunette stopping shortly and turning around - a quizzical expression on her face. Chloe pulled Max into a hug and held her tight, swaying side to side slightly as she wanted to make the girl feel comfortable, safe. "It'll never happen again."

"Chlo-..." Max felt the anger rising up, annoyed with the fact that once again the punk brought up the memory. She relented the emotions after her heart told her to stop. "...I-It sucked."

"Nobody will call you that shit ever again, m'kay? _Nobody._ " Chloe noticed Max's change of tone and decided to push the subject further, reassuring the girl with her words. "I won't allow it."

Max kept quiet and instead hugged the girl back, nodding her head slightly, her eyes closed as she listened to Chloe's heartbeat. They stood amongst the trees and pines, the creaking interrupting the bird songs periodically as the wind started to pick up amongst the woods. Chloe looked around as she kept her arms around Max, the punk trying to spot something interesting in the distance - some kind of sight, rock outcrop or anything that they could look at and admire. Eventually she heard the quiet rush of water in the far distance.

"Hey, you hear that…?" Chloe asked as she wasn't so sure if it was water she was hearing or just the wind playing tricks on her. Max moved her head away from Chloe's chest and listened herself, her face scrunched up as she focused on the faint sound.

"Water…?" Max spoke up and heard Chloe nod back.

"Let's see what it is." Chloe moved away from the embrace and kept her fingers intertwined with Max's.

The two girls began to walk in the general direction of the sound, the distinct noise getting louder with each step. Eventually they heard water smacking against rocks, the sound of some sort of stream snaking it's way through the woods accompanying it. They struggled up a small hill, slipping a few times and chuckling at their clumsiness as they helped each other up - the two of them reaching the top after a few moments. Their eyes rested on the view down below as they were gobsmacked.

A waterfall was present just ahead, water flowing down the edge of an escarpment into a large gorge just below. Moss covered rocks had made up the outer layer of the hole, tree's and bushes lining the edges in an array of colours and types. A small pond was pooled up all the way at the bottom, a stream leading away from it and continuing forwards through the woods into the distant horizon - the water was completely crystal clear. A faint mist had settled on top of it all as it completed the view - an air of mystery being set upon the entire thing.

" _W-Wowser._ " Max spoke after a few seconds and looked over it all - her heart skipped a few beats as she never had seen anything quite like it. Chloe's own mouth was open wide, unable to find the right vocabulary to describe her feelings right now.

"This…- Holy shit." Chloe spoke to the best of her ability, her choice of words eliciting a giggle from Max. The punk lowered her gaze to the brunette and noticed how she began to rummage around in her camera bag, looking for something. After a few seconds she finally pulled out her old polaroid camera, looking up at the bluenette and smiling.

"Picture…-?" Max asked quietly and saw Chloe immediately light up.

"C'mere." Chloe placed her hands on Max's hips and pulled her in quickly, the girl squirming at the unexpected gesture as her head instantly landed on the punk's bust. She giggled and extended her camera out in front of the couple, turning them towards the waterfall. She adjusted the angle for a few seconds, found one she liked and clicked the button.

_*snap*_

_*whirrr*_

Max reached forward and took the polaroid that snaked it's way out of the camera, giving it a light shake in her quirky way. She looked over it after a moment and smiled - Chloe butting her head into Max's lightly so she could also have a peek.

Both of them stood in their embrace, their eyes focused on the camera as they held toothy smiles on their faces. The background consisted of the large waterfall, the picture was angled perfectly to catch the water falling into the eerie, mossy gorge down below - crystal clear water shimmering in whatever light managed to escape through the tree canopy above. Chloe left a smooch on Max's face and pulled her in tighter to show her appreciation.

"Beautiful." Chloe spoke and saw Max nodding afterwards.

"Chlo-... This is just so-... s-surreal." Max turned them back towards the waterfall, her polaroid camera being placed back into her bag alongside the photo. "I've never seen something like this."

"Me neither - we haven't even gotten out of Washington yet." Chloe reminded Max and heard her nod again. "I-... I'm kinda pumped for this, y'know?"

Max kept quiet and watched over the streaming water, the shimmering reflecting into her eyes as she was simply amazed by the beauty of it all.

"Do you think there's a cave behind it…?" Max asked and heard Chloe let out a loud laugh.

"This isn't an RPG, Maximus." Chloe left another smooch on Max's cheek but held her lips there for a few seconds, smiling wide. "That's real cute though."

"Mm." Max absentmindedly hummed and kept her gaze on the waterfall, her eyes narrowing a bit as she was curious if there actually _was_ a cave behind it - RPG's don't lie right? Chloe saw the twinkle of curiosity in Max's eyes and grinned wide.

"Wanna go check it out…?" Chloe suggested and saw Max instantly light up, nodding almost frantically. Chloe moved away from their hug and started to lead the brunette towards the gorge, her eyes darting around whilst they tried to find a way down. "Watch your step, I don't want to have to haul your ass outta there."

"Wow, glad that you care so mu-...AWH!" Max spoke and gasped as her sneakers slipped on one of the moss-covered stones, the brunette being caught mid-fall by Chloe. "S-Shit…- T-Thanks."

"Mhm." Chloe let go of Max but kept a tight grip on her hand, slowly starting to step down a few of the stones - checking the stability each time with her foot before helping Max follow her. With each step down the girls heard the sounds of the forests get muffled by the high stone walls that surrounded them, the creaking of the woods and the singing of the birds almost non-existent once they reached the bottom.

"This is so _cool_ …" Max spoke as she let go of Chloe. She looked around the gorge they were in and took in a deep breath - the air was far different from the fresh, pine-filled smell up above. Max could almost make out the scent of the crystal clear water, the low mist that hung over it - the humidity of the entire place.

Chloe watched as Max began to approach the waterfall, her eyes constantly moving up and down as she inspected each little detail of the water feature in the gorge. The punk knelt down beside the water and looked down, her reflection merely a blur in the tiny waves due to the purity of the liquid. She reached down and ran her fingers through it, the water threading through the gaps - it was cold. Her head shot back up as she looked at Max only a few metres away from the waterfall, the brunette trying to look behind the water as her neck was craned to the side.

"Water is freezing cold - I wouldn't try and jump through if I was you, girlfriend." Chloe teased Max and saw the brunette turn around, her eyebrows raised a bit. She rolled her eyes and turned back around, continuing to watch the waterfall and trying to figure out a way through.

The punk slowly got up and began to step lightly towards Max, her mind adrift in all the ways that she could possibly cause some mischief, some trouble to try and wind up the brunette a bit. She grinned wide as she snaked her arms around Max, beginning to slowly shove her entire body into the brunette and lead them closer and closer to the waterfall. Max began to panic a bit as her hands gripped around Chloe's arms.

"Chlo-... don't you dare.." Max warned and began to put up resistance, trying to catch grip on the wet, mossy floor below with her sneakers. Chloe kept shoving them closer and closer. "Chloeeeee…"

"It's only water Max…-" Chloe purred quietly and slowed them down a bit - Max kept trying to push them back instead, her legs starting to slip a bit as her shoes couldn't find grip.

"Chloeeeee, _don't_ \- pleaseeeeee…" Max whined out quietly and saw her own broken reflection in the waterfall, the feature now being only a metre or two away from her. She felt shivers work their way up her body as she began to get splashed by some stray droplets.

"Maaaaaxxx…" Chloe took a step forward and shoved them even further as Max began to struggle against her grip.

"No, pleaseeeee-..."

"Hold your breath." Chloe simply stated and shoved them forward for the last step, the brunette failing to register the words in time as they were thrust into the water.

The cold cascade instantly rained down on both of the girls as they were covered completely. Max spluttered out ineligible words and sounds as she hadn't been ready, the cold water sending shocks through her body as she was unable to think, unable to act at all. Chloe was far better prepared and quickly pulled them back out of the torrent of cold water, the sensation kicking her instantly as she didn't expect it to be _that cold_.

"O-.. M-... Oh-.. my DOG!" Max spluttered out once she felt the water was no longer falling over her. Her entire body was wet, her clothes heavy with the residue water as they glistened in the dim light of the gorge. She felt the two arms around her pull her in closer, the body pressed against her shivering due to the cold.

"S-S-Shit-... I d-d-didn't know it w-was that c-cold…" Chloe herself tried to speak but felt her teeth chattering. She brought up one hand to her face and wiped it off quickly, parting her hair out of her face as she tried to look around. This wasn't such a smart idea after all - not that Chloe was _known_ for smart ideas.

"Ch-Chloeeee… what t-the f-fuck!" Max shouted out as her own two hands wiped down her face, her eyes opening after a moment as she looked over herself. She was completely drenched, head to toes. "I-I'm completely w-wet!"

"O-Oooooh…" Chloe had managed to tease the girl suggestively even in the current situation. Her body kept shivering as she kept her girlfriend close to her, hoping to share some warmth between the two girls.

"T-This isn't f-funny!" Max exclaimed and kept shaking from the cold. She decided her best course of action was to be closer to Chloe - she turned around quickly and embraced the punk, her feelings conflicted as a part of her wanted to hit her for what she just did. "I-It's freezing…-"

"F-Fuck, my b-bad." Chloe apologized and hugged the girl tight, the little bit of warmth between them being shared as it kept them from completely freezing. The punk could almost feel her blood running cold, her veins going numb as her heart began to pump the icy blood around faster. "I'm s-so, _so_ s-sorry.."

"L-Let's g-get back to the d-damn truck b-before we f-freeze literally." Max managed to speak and quickly moved out of the embrace, grabbing her girlfriend's hand and starting to lead them over to the rocks they stepped down before. Chloe followed and did her best to ignore the weight of her wet clothes on her shaking body.

"Y-You know, w-we don't h-have spare c-clothes..." Chloe mentioned as she carefully climbed up the steps, the task now being a hundred times harder than before due to state of both girls. Max scoffed loudly and followed closely behind the punk, her hand constantly gripping her's as they used each other for support with each step up.

"D-Dog…- I f-fricking h-hate you s-so m-much right n-now…" Max called out and heard Chloe let out a broken laugh, hitching a few times as her teeth chattered together.

The two girls did their best to keep a quick pace on their way back through the woods. They had managed to get lost a few times, running in the completely opposite direction of their truck before they realised it. Chloe kept bringing up the fact that neither of them had spare clothes and sitting around in wet ones wouldn't exactly help their health. Max did her best to ignore the punk for now, still slightly pissed from what she did - yet she _couldn't_ hate her for it.

Minutes passed before the girls finally had managed to find the correct way back, spotting a familiar rock outcrop that marked their way to the waterfall. They ran as fast as their heavy, wet clothes allowed them - stopping every dozen or so metres as it was hard for them to breathe, the cold that took them over sucking all their air out constantly as their body tried to adjust to the temperature. Finally they spotted the last vestiges of the woods, the clearing coming into view after a few more moments - the rusty Ford F150 resting in the middle of it all.

"F-Finally!" Max called out and started to drag Chloe along, the punk barely able to keep up as she huffed and puffed from all the running they did.

Darkness had already begun to fall onto the world, the girls spending the entire day walking through the forest together. By the time they had managed to find their way back, it was already the cusp of nightfall - Max was thankful as neither of the girls had any sort of light source, their phones completely drained for the past two days.

"S-So c-cold." Chloe spoke out once they reached the truck. The punk moved with purpose and reached for the small trunk on the back of her truck, opening it up and withdrawing all the blankets they had with them - the slightly tattered brown one and the two new ones they had recently purchased, She shivered and turned towards the brunette, the girl hugging herself and shaking.

"C-Chlo..-" Max wanted to mention the fact that they couldn't stay in their clothes, yet she wasn't sure how to bring it up - her cheeks flushed with red for a bit as the punk noticed.

"I-I know." Chloe replied and placed two of the blankets on the side of the truck, extending out the other one and holding it out in front of Max. "C-C'mon, drop the c-clothes and s-snuggle in..-"

" _H-Here?_ " Max raised her voice a bit, her cheeks holding their red tint as she felt a bit embarrassed - she did not want to undress in the middle of the woods, in front of somebody else. This was Chloe, her girlfriend, but _still_ \- Max was extremely self-conscious - there was also the fact that nobody had ever seen her naked except for her parents when she was a child.

"M-Max I won't look, d-don't worry ya doofus." Chloe reassured the girl as she saw her red cheeks, her uncomfortable shifting in her place as she kept shaking - her arms trying to rub some heat into herself. "H-Hurry up."

Max reluctantly complied after a few more moments. Chloe wrapped the blanket completely around the girl and held it there, the brunette using it for cover whilst she slipped out of her wet clothes. Chloe could hear the faint thud of the water-soaked clothes hitting the ground, doing her best not to try and imagine what the girl looked like under the blanket - completely naked. Max eventually grabbed the blanket from Chloe and wrapped it around herself as she still shivered from the cold - her gaze quickly meeting Chloe's.

"I-I'm d-done." She spoke quietly and the punk nodded. Chloe opened up the passenger side door and gestured the girl inside, Max quickly jumped inside and heard the door slam beside her. She made herself comfortable as she kept shaking, the cold slowly beginning to go away as the warm, dry blanket provided her with warmth. Her gaze rested ahead but shifted to the rearview mirror, her eyes locked on the punk that stood behind the truck.

Chloe had wrapped the blanket around herself and slipped out of her own clothes, her body completely covered the entire time. She jogged around the truck and grabbed Max's own wet clothes, laying out both sets on the bed of the truck in hopes that'd they dry off by tomorrow. She heard the snap of a twig nearby and froze, her gaze shooting over towards the source of the sound - the now present darkness making it impossible to see anything. The punk shook her head and finished laying out the clothes, jogging over to her own side and jumping inside the truck.

"S-Shit." Chloe spoke as she enveloped the blanket around herself more securely. Her hand snaked out from inside and placed the third unused blanket between her and Max. She looked up and saw the brunette looking back from beneath the cozy blanket, only her eyes and hair making their presence known.

"W-Why d-did you d-do that…?" Max asked and did her best to cover her frustration in her voice, her deep blue eyes piercing Chloe's azure blue. The punk gulped quietly and shrugged her shoulders.

"I d-don't know." Chloe spoke truthfully. Initially she had just wanted to get them a _little_ bit wet, but her brain stopped working as her body shoved both of them into the running cascade. "S-Sorry."

"C-Chloe that was n-not okay." Max scored her girlfriend and saw her sulkily look down, obviously sorry for what she did. "D-Don't do it again, p-please..?"

Chloe simply nodded and kept her gaze down, focusing on nothing in particular. Max felt a bit sorry for her words but knew that she had to draw the line somewhere - getting covered in freezing cold water was a step beyond what was OK right now. She shuffled a bit and whimpered a quietly under the blanket, her eyes still focused on Chloe as she tried to get her attention. The punk looked up and understood after a moment, making her way across the seat towards Max.

"C'mere." Chloe ever so slightly opened up her own blanket, enough to allow Max to snuggle into the extra layer of warmth. She quickly rested herself in Chloe's embrace and enjoyed the warmth of the double blanket around her now.

"Thank y-you." Max spoke quietly and heard Chloe nod. Max reclined a bit into Chloe's arms and rested her head in the nook beneath Chloe's neck, her face nuzzling into her skin. Chloe shivered a bit as the still-wet chestnut hair touched her skin but she didn't mind the contact.

"Well, there g-goes the entire d-day." Chloe spoke and felt her stammer start to fade away, the warmth now allowing the two girls to continue a normal conversation without their teeth constantly chattering away. "H-How'd you like it?"

"Loved it." Max's voice was muffled as she spoke against Chloe's skin. The punk felt the hot breath on her skin and smiled, resting her own face in Max's hair - ignoring the fact it was still wet.

"Shame a-about the tent." Chloe's own muffled voice echoed out around the quiet cabin. Max giggled quietly in return. "W-Wanted to test that sucker out."

"We'll get another c-chance." Max closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her girlfriends skin, hearing her breathing quietly above her. Chloe nodded and left a kiss on Max's scalp, squeezing the girl a bit and closing her own eyes.

"Where do you w-want to go next?" Chloe broke the silence after a few minutes. Max shrugged slightly and kept her face nuzzled in.

"Dunno." Max replied and then furrowed her eyebrows a bit, the motion tickling the punk and eliciting a shudder from her. "How a-about that cabin? We need to c-charge our phones and I'd l-like to sleep inside a building f-for once, not the truck."

"Deal." Chloe replied and let out a content sigh.

Max felt as her emotions tugged at her heart a bit, a few of them telling her to make a move - to try and increase the intimacy of the moment between the two. The brunette was a bit taken aback at it as she processed the emotions in her head, unsure as to why the hell she was feeling this way at all. She ignored it for the first few times it cropped, the hormones working overtime to win over the brain - she eventually bit her lip and explored the possibilities that her actions could lead to. She took the leap.

"Maax…?" Chloe opened her eyes and shuddered as she felt two cold hands snake their way around her waist - the fingers digging in slightly and holding on. The punk moved herself away a bit and stared down at the brunette, the girl flush in the cheeks and looking a bit embarrassed.

"S-Sorry." Max quickly relented her grip and began to move her hands back. She stopped when two strong hands gripped her own, pulling them back in slowly around Chloe. Max looked up and saw Chloe looking at her intensely - her eyes not moving a millimetre as they kept their focus on Max's. The brunette dug her fingers in again and scooted a bit closer - she felt as her blanket loosened up a bit around her.

Chloe wrapped one hand around Max's waist and pulled her in after a moment, her other hand drifting up between the blankets up to the brunette's face as it carefully rested on her freckled cheek. Max's heartbeat increased at the touch, her head moving into it as her body wanted as much of the contact as possible - the two girls eyes still staring into each other. Chloe rubbed her thumb slightly over Max's cheek as it caressed her face, neither girl speaking - the silence in the cabin becoming almost unbearable at this point.

Their lips clashed together moments afterwards. Max had dug her fingers into Chloe's skin as she felt the punk's tongue force itself past her lips, duelling her own in the confines of her mouth. Chloe's hand had slid from Max's cheek to the back of her neck, pulling her further into the kiss as her other hand dug her own fingers into Max - holding on tight as if she was her lifeline. Moments passed as the only sound in the truck was the hot, frantic breathing of the two lovers locked in their passionate kiss.

Max took it a step further and quickly readjusted herself, her leg swinging over Chloe's as she straddled the bluenette - the younger girl now having a slight height advantage. Max felt the blanket that was wrapped around her begin to slip off, Chloe's own now being the only barrier that stopped her from getting completely exposed. Max felt her own cold skin touch Chloe's as she straddled her, their thighs bare as the brunette started to drift her hands upwards. They quickly went up the punk's sides and slid out of the blanket, resting on Chloe's cheeks as they cupped them both - pulling the girl further in.

The punk herself had now lowered her hands underneath the blanket, both of them resting on Max's hips as they gripped and pulled them in periodically - a rhythm developing between the two girls as the brunette helped her by thrusting forward every few seconds. Chloe moved away from the kiss finally and took in air, staring up at the slightly taller brunette that was straddling her - Max simply kept silent and stared back, her hands still on Chloe's cheeks.

"D-Do…- Do you w-want _this_ …?" Chloe asked quietly as she stared up, seeing the brunette a bit wary of the situation at hand. Max hesitated for a moment but nodded - the punk grinning wide after the gesture. "T-Tell me to stop if it gets uncomfortable, o-okay?"

Max nodded and kept her eyes on Chloe. The punk moved her head forward a bit and left a peck on Max's lips, tugging at her lips teasingly and receiving a moan in return. Max lowered her own hands from Chloe's cheeks and wrapped them both behind her neck - the punk craning her head sideways and lowering herself below Max slightly, starting to leave soft kisses on her neck. Max nuzzled her face into the side of Chloe's now exposed face and left her own kisses there, occasionally moaning as she felt the punk bite and suck at her skin - leaving hickeys in her wake. Max moved her head forward a bit and began to bite and suck on Chloe's earlobe, the bluenette enjoying the sensation as she herself let out a soft moan against Max's skin.

The cabin began to get filled up with the quiet moans and heavy breathing of both the girls as they went on teasing each other. Eventually Chloe had begun to move one of her hands from Max's hips, snaking their way up her bare abdomen and softly running her finger around the rim of Max's belly button - the brunette smiling against Chloe's ear as she shuddered at the contact. The punk's hands ran further up and rested in between Max's breasts, unsure which one to caress first. It drifted over to the left and began to cup the mound, the fingers running over Max's nipples as the girl moaned quietly - her hips starting to pace up their rhythmic thrusting, her body lusting for more contact. Chloe kept playing with Max's breast, her head moving up and down her neck as she kept kissing and biting the exposed skin.

Minutes passed as the cabin began to get almost unbearably hot - the windows starting to steam up a bit as the two girls kept going at it. Chloe had begun to periodically switch between Max's breasts as her other hand kept its tight grip on Max's hip, pulling and pushing her in with the rhythm they had found themselves in. The punk felt the faint trickle of sweat working down her face as she did her best to ignore the clammy air around them, their bodies almost over producing heat at this point because of their frantic breathing and movements. Chloe had begun to lower her hand down from Max's breast, resting on her abdomen for a moment and then going even further - stopping just short of Max's pubic mound.

"M-Max…?" Chloe asked and moved away from Max's neck, looking up at the girl. Max met her gaze and kept silent, her half-lidded eyes partially covered by her slightly ruffled fringe. "Are you s-sure..?"

"I want t-this…" Max spoke quietly and rested her forehead against Chloe's, their faces inches apart as they kept their stare. "I want _y-you_."

Chloe didn't need anything else - the three words that Max had spoken were enough to cause her chest to explode, her body nearly taken over by the almost insatiable lust she had been keeping in all this time. Yet she did her best to keep it under control as much as she could, her fear of hurting the brunette during her first time being a significant factor that helped her. Chloe's hand continued its way down and felt the soft bristles of the hair beneath them, the brunette on her lap shuddering a bit as she felt the sensation. Max had kept her forehead on Chloe's the entire time, the two girls staring at each other during the encounter - their eyes filled with thousands of unique emotions and feelings that didn't need any words spoken, the eye contact was everything they needed.

The punk's hand reached the very top of Max's sex, resting there for a moment as she hesitated and bit her lip. Max noticed as she herself was a bit hesitant, her own lip trembling slightly at the amount of pressure that the brunette was applying to it now. She nodded quietly as the go-ahead for the punk. Chloe took in a deep breath an-...

_AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Both of the girls fell completely still, neither of them breathing as they heard the howl. All their emotions, their lust for each other and their loving passion - it all had instantly drained the moment they were interrupted. Chloe's hand kept itself just about Max's sex, not wanting to advance at all - her body frigid as the sound had triggered a shiver all along her spine. She slowly turned her head to the left and looked out to the darkness outside her truck. She couldn't see anything behind the steamed up windows - not that she'd be able to see anything in the darkness _anyway_. She heard the brunette on her knees gulp quietly and then sigh.

"W-Well…" Max spoke quietly and slumped forward a bit, her thrusting having completely stopped as her body tried to once again relax after hearing the howl. Chloe looked back at Max and saw the slight disappointment in her face - obviously annoyed that their moment was broken.

"S-Sorry." Chloe spoke up quietly and placed her forehead against Max's again.

"Don't be. It w-wasn't your howl, was it?" Max giggled after her words, trying to lift the slightly grim atmosphere that had befallen them. She left a soft kiss on Chloe's nose, as the punk giggled herself.

"You don't know, maybe I'm a werewolf and today is a full moon…?" Chloe left her own kiss on Max's nose, the two of them inches apart as they continued their stare. The punk had begun to move her hand away from Max's pubic mound, resting back on her hip along with her other one. "I'd sure as hell ravage you like one at least…-"

"Pervy dork." Max smiled and received one in response. The two girls gave each other eskimo kisses as they kept their embrace. "This s-sucks."

"Yeah - you had just begun to enjoy it too." Chloe teased and saw Max roll her eyes, letting out a quiet chuckle at the reaction.

"Yeah, like you _hadn't_." Max pointed out as Chloe nodded.

"Can't say I'm not disappointed myself..." Chloe replied and then moved her hands around the blanket that had fallen from Max's shoulders, bringing it back up so the it covered the brunette's back again. "We should probably catch some sleep."

"I guess…-" Max let out a sigh and moved her forehead away, her head turning to her side as she tried to look out the steamed up window. "W-Wow."

"Yeah, we got pretty h-heavy there girlfriend." Chloe noticed the girls stare and spoke, the brunette replying with another giggle. Max turned her head back and then shifted her body around a bit, her leg once again joined by her other one as she curled up on Chloe's lap.. Their bare bodies had made contact, their exposed breasts slightly touching - neither of them cared right now. The brunette nuzzled her face into the crook of Chloe's neck and left it there, giving her a soft kiss and closing her eyes.

"I love you." Max spoke quietly and lowered her hands from behind Chloe's neck as she promptly placed them against her chest instead. Chloe wrapped her arms around Max and held her up in her lap.

"I love you." Chloe replied and left a kiss on Max's temple, resting her head in the nest of chestnut hair.

The fell asleep shortly afterwards, the sound of the sleeping forest around them becoming the ambient noise that had lulled them into slumber.

 


	7. Owner Of A Lonely Heart

The 1986 Ford F150 rolled into a stop after a short moment. Chloe scooted over in her seat and reached over to the glovebox, taking out a few bills from the brown envelope inside. She purposefully slammed the flap shut with a giggle. Max shot up in her seat, being startled a bit as she dozed off - rudely awakened the sudden loud noise. Chloe's giggle developed into a laugh at the reaction, her head moved in as she gave Max a quick peck on her lips to help her wake up. The punk shuffled back over to her seat and jumped out of the truck - leaving Max alone after a moment of silence.

The brunette quickly took a few looks around her to determine where they were, furrowing her eyebrows a bit as she couldn't find any definite signs. She saw as her bluenette girlfriend made her way over to a large pinewood lodge near the edge of a dense forest. Suddenly she shot up in her seat as she realised that they must have finally arrived at their sat there in silence as quiet melodies rung out from the radio over the next few minutes, her thoughts swimming through her head - going over the close encounter they had after their unfortunate waterfall _accident._

"Hey girlfriend." Chloe spoke up as she jumped into the truck, startling the brunette again. She giggled and received a playful shove from Max. "Got us a cabin for two days, real good deal. Wait till ya see it - they showed me pictures and everything."

"We heading over right now?" Max asked curiously as she shuffled in her seat to get comfortable. Her hands ran over her slightly dirty clothes, still slightly damp in a few places from yesterday's _adventure_.

"Nawh. We gotta pick up some supplies, get some clothes. I dunno about you but I kinda wanna wear something else rather than these slightly rank clothes." Chloe spoke up and gestured to her own outfit, the engine rumbling to life. The punk reversed out of the parking space and merged back onto the small road.

"I guess." Max replied and nodded to herself, her gaze resting back outside her window as she saw the entire roadside covered with dense woods, all of it shooting past the moving truck as it roared along.

A few minutes passed quietly as the truck kept its pace on the nearly abandoned road - a few estates and small shacks scattered around in bundles. Eventually the Ford turned into a large street, buildings lining either side as they all had a similar rustic look of small town America.

"Where are we exactly?" Max spoke after some time, keeping her gaze on the streets around them. It was peaceful - groups of people laughing and talking as they went about their own life.

"Telma. Lake Wenatchee is just two or three kilometres away - you were asleep when we drove past." Chloe replied and then tugged at the wheel a bit, turning the truck towards a shopping complex a few hundred yards away. It looked simple, no modern artsy design, no fancy bright neon logo's - it fit very well with the small town America vibe the town had going. A few moments later Chloe turned into a parking spot with near perfect accuracy - something that had definitely already improved since Max had met Chloe at Blackwell on the first day of that one week in October.

The two girls walked through the door of the shopping complex and started to head towards the chain store supermarket near the back - hand in hand. Their fingers intertwined as they kept close to each other, a few people began to twist and turn their heads in their direction - _Hicktown, WA 2.0_. Max rolled her eyes a bit as she saw the stares and instead moved closer to her girlfriend.

"I hate these fu-fucking stares." Max seethed out after she saw another pair of people staring at them whilst they walked past. Chloe giggled and left a kiss on Max's temple, her hand relenting her hold from Max's as she wrapped it around her waist instead and pulled her in.

"I know - I used to hate it too." Chloe spoke and shot her glance at an elderly couple walking by, the older gentleman almost scowling at the contact between the two girls. She raised up her free hand and gave them a well deserved middle-finger, earning a dour glare as they started to walk away faster from the two girls. "You'll get used to it."

"I h-hope so." Max replied and then looked ahead at the 24/7 supermarket coming up, her pace increasing. "This place should have the stuff we need, right…?"

"Food and stuff, yes. Don't know about the clothes though - leggo and see." Chloe kept her speed up with Max, not wanting to relent the hug they had going whilst walking. The brunette noticed and slowed down after a moment.

"Chloe…?" Max spoke up after a moment as they both entered the supermarket - the dozens of aisles around them as groups of people of all ages walked by, not giving much attention to the two girls.

"What is it Maxipad?" Chloe spoke back and reached over towards a basket, grabbing one from a pile near the entrance before starting to lead both of them towards one of the aisles. Max ever so slightly jabbed Chloe with her elbow, showing her discontent with her nickname. "Ow..-"

"I _hate_ when you call me that." Max spoke up as Chloe laughed, the brunette's thoughts travelling back a to the memory of the event that earned her that nickname. "That was _not_ funny."

"Oh it _was_." Chloe spoke through her laugh and brought Max closer to her as her eyes began to dart around the aisles on either side of them - the punk trying to find the items she had desired to purchase for tonight. "What did you want anyway..?"

"W-... Uhm. Actually. Nevermind." Max had wanted to ask about Chloe's plans for today, her mind wondering over the possibilities as she saw her girlfriend start to pick out a few items from the shelves. She didn't want to ruin the now obvious surprise that Chloe was preparing for her - she'd rather that it stay a surprise as not to disappoint the punk.

In less than 10 minutes the girls had managed to acquire the supplies for the planned evening. Their basket was filled with foodstuffs and bath accessories - incense, candles, a semi-expensive body wash and strawberry scented shampoo. Max had kept quiet the entire way but she had shot her glances at the items as they were put in the basket - her heart beating faster as they carried on. She was giddy with anticipation, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach - she herself had already figured out that whatever Chloe was planning was going to be _romantic._ Max kept a goofy smile on her face as they went towards a queue for the checkout.

"Now just _what_ are you smiling about ya goofster?" Chloe spoke up and snapped Max out of her daze, the brunette looking up at her girlfriend. The punk grinned wide and suggestively wiggled her eyebrows, the gesture eliciting a giggle out of Max.

"Just thinking about how lucky I am..." Max replied and then looked around, ensuring that nobody was watching them. She stood up on her tiptoes and pecked Chloe's lips, the taller girl smiling wide at the contact. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me _yet_." Chloe saw Max lower herself back down onto her feet, taking the chance to move in for her own chaste kiss. The punk heard a quiet giggle from behind them and looked over, noticing a small girl hiding behind the leg of whom she assumed was one of her parents. She was watching Max and Chloe with a toothy smile, clutching a teddy bear in one hand. Chloe smiled back and stuck out her tongue, the little girl giggling again as she hid out of sight.

Max watched the interaction between Chloe and the little girl, her heart happily lifted as she saw the two obviously enjoy the small gestures. Their queue had moved on as the two girls were next - Max quickly beginning to pass over their items to the cashier as she scanned them through. A minute or two passed in silence between Max and Chloe, the store constantly filled with the sound of people talking, shouting or the rather quiet radio providing white noise over it all. Chloe withdrew a few bills from her jeans and passed them over once they were done, lifting their plastic bags with the items inside. Max hooked her arm under Chloe's and began to lead her out of the supermarket, the brunette's head resting on her shoulder.

They walked through the entire shopping complex quietly, Max ignoring the stares they kept getting. _God - you'd think it was a criminal offence to be in love with someone around here._ Chloe had done her best to return a few of the glances, her eyes shooting icicles at anyone who so much as scowled at the two girls in such close proximity to one another. A few minutes later they had managed to reach the old, rusty Ford F150. Chloe slipped the bags in the leg space between Max's legs and jogged her way around the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind her as she sat down.

"Clothes shopping now gurl." Chloe spoke as her hand jiggled the keys, the ignition being turned moments later as the engine sputtered to life. She quickly reversed the truck out of its space and drove it out of the car park.

"Oh dog, _fun_." Max replied sarcastically and assumed her regular position, looking out the window. Chloe drifted her hand over from the clutch and onto the brunette's thigh, resting it there lazily.

"Cheer up girlfriend. I'm gonna get you some hella sweet clothes - trust." Chloe ran her hand over Max's thigh and squeezed it, the brunette letting out a quiet sigh. "I'll turn you into a punk yet."

"Oh no you won't - not on my watch." Max quickly shifted her gaze at Chloe and held it there with a serious expression. Chloe simply stared back with a wide grin, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Chloe, you will not…-"

"Oh yes I will-..."

"No you won't-..."

"Oh _yes_ I will!"

" _No_ you won't!"

Chloe relented her assault after she saw the scowl she was receiving from Max. She turned her head back to the road and let out her own disappointed sigh. Max saw that she was slightly saddened by the fact that she wouldn't be turning Max into her mini-punk. _Then again..._

"Well…- maybe a little bit…?" Max spoke up and saw Chloe's expression instantly change into a dangerously wide grin that threatened to split her face.

"Score!" Chloe laughed and gripped Max's thigh, the brunette giggling with her girlfriend and resting her hand on Chloe's - her sight returned out of her window after a few seconds.

Max saw the small town street fade into view after a few minutes as Chloe tugged at the steering wheel, turning the truck towards a small shop on the side. The truck parked up as the engine died off, Chloe gesturing the brunette out of the truck and towards the shop. The windows were slightly tinted as Max tried to squint her eyes to see inside. Chloe laughed at the brunettes attempt to inspect the shop and grabbed her hand, dragging her inside the building with her. Max gave it a quick look around and rolled her eyes, prompting another laugh from her girlfriend.

They stood inside a punk fashion store. All kinds of shirts, trousers, jackets, hats and various other paraphernalia lined the walls and rested amongst the different aisles. The tall girl smiled wide as she began to walk between the aisles and browsed the inventory, holding her girlfriend's hand as the brunette scanned around them with her nose scrunched up - she was a bit hesitant to start changing her fashion after years of dressing like a hipster.

Chloe stopped in front of a bundle of shirts - her hands starting to sort through the mess as she wanted to find something for the brunette. Chloe grinned and pulled out a shirt, holding it out towards Max. It was a black shirt with the the album cover for _Americana_ \- a small boy on a swing holding a cat-sized cockroach under his arm. Max quickly shook her head in slight disgust, she was never a fan of punk album covers - too gritty for her taste. Chloe laughed and put the shirt down, continuing to browse through the others.

"Chloe, I really don't think you'll find anything for me…-" Max spoke up after a minute of silence, her voice carrying through the store. The punk shot a glance behind her and smiled, her hands pulling out another shirt - far more acceptable than the last. It was a plain black shirt with the Ramones logo on it - a simple seal with an eagle in the middle. Max hesitated for a second but realised that it wasn't _that_ bad - she gave her nod of approval.

About 10 minutes later the girls were still somewhat undecided. Max had helped Chloe pick out some simple shirts, a few flannels and some mild band-themed ones for herself. The bluenette managed to snag some tank tops and shirts too, mostly album covers from artists she liked, but also a few anarchy flavoured ones too. The two girls stood in front of the hat section of the small shop - the shelves mostly filled with beanies ranging from black to rainbow coloured, snapbacks and biker helmets. Chloe scrunched her face up a bit as she was deep in thought over the selection.

"Just grab a damn beanie and let's go already." Max eventually shot out as she held onto her shirts. Chloe giggled and kept browsing the selection, her gaze occasionally dropping down to her girlfriend.

"What about jeans, Max? Some warm clothing - hoodies? I know that I want ya naked but…" Chloe began but stopped when she saw the scowl on Max's face. She moved her head in and pecked Max's lips, the brunette replying in kind as her scowl disappeared.

"I think it's _you_ who'll get naked for _me_." Max spoke with a quiet sultry tone, ensuring that only Chloe could hear her. The punk felt a bit taken aback by the assertiveness in her voice - she had begun to get used to a more confident, a more bold Max though. She reached over towards the shelf, her hand grabbing a simple black beanie and proceeding to shove it over Max's hair - covering her eyes in the process as she laughed.

Max grabbed the beanie adjusted it so that it didn't cover her entire face. Chloe meanwhile picked up a grey snapback and swapped it out with her old worn beanie, shoving the old ragged thing into her leather jacket. Max looked up and smiled - the snapback looked good on the punk, her short electric blue hair flowing out from the sides as some strawberry-blonde roots started to show and acted like natural highlights to her hair. Chloe looked down at the girl and quickly moved in, placing a quick kiss on the brunette's lips again.

The two of them went through the store a second time and picked out a few pairs of jeans and some hoodies for when it got cold. After making their way to the checkout counter they put down all their newly acquired clothes and waited a bit. The cashier walked in from the back - it was a girl in her teens, obviously a punk, her matte black hair was highlighted with bright red at random intervals with no particular pattern. A few piercings along her ear and a nose stud were the defining details of her rebellion against society. Max began to look around the store absentmindedly as she tapped her foot, the silence being occasionally lifted by the sound of a beep as the clothes were scanned and tallied to the total. Max shifted her eyes back to the cashier punk behind the counter and saw her smiling wide at Chloe, almost as if she was hopeful of something. Her heart screamed out for her to do something - the slight jealousy enveloping her beating organ. _Oh no you don't._

Max quickly turned on her heel and threw her arms over Chloe's neck, catching the tall punk off guard as she felt a pair of lips on her own - the light tug pulling her bottom lip a bit to try and open her mouth. She did. Instantly Max snaked her tongue inside and french kissed her girlfriend. Chloe didn't object - she loved it - and quickly wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist as she pulled her into deepen the kiss. A few seconds passed and the girls moved away, Max quickly resuming her previous position as if nothing happened, crossing her arms and looking around the store. Chloe stood still in silent shock for a moment and then looked over at the girl behind the counter - her jaw had completely dropped open at the display that was put up in front of her. She began to furiously scan over the clothes and stayed silent. The brunette shot a brief glance over at the counter and smirked - the anger in the punk girl scanning the clothes gave her a bit of a kick.

Eventually all the clothes were scanned and their total tallied up. Max let out a slight gasp as she saw the number pop up on the small screen attached to the register - the total being far higher than she expected it to be.

"I-.. Chloe I think-..." Max began as she tried to get her girlfriend to cut back on the clothing.

"No, shush. We have cash girlfriend." Chloe spoke and reached into her back pocket of her jeans, struggling a bit to retrieve the bills. The punk girl behind the counter was shooting absolute daggers towards Max - the hipster girl looked back with her own stare, the cold gaze capable of turning even Perseus to stone, reflective shield be damned. The cashier instantly relented and looked down for a second before getting snapped back to reality - Chloe slammed a few $100 bills on the counter and grabbed the bags that contained their clothes. Max and Chloe spent no time getting out of the store and back into the truck.

The engine rumbled to life and the truck almost immediately pulled out of its parking space, neither girl speaking to each other as they processed the what had happened in the store.

"Max, what the hell was that back there?" Chloe eventually spoke as she drove the truck down the main street, stopping at a pair of traffic lights. Max lowered her gaze in slight shame - she didn't have an explanation.

"S-Sorry." Max replied quietly. Chloe giggled furiously at her girlfriend as she pressed the pedal lightly again, the traffic lights turning green.

"That was hella awesome. Just saying." The punk spoke and tapped her fingers along the steering wheel as she drove, shooting a glance at her companion. "I like jealous Max."

"I don't." Max spoke back and looked out the window.

Chloe looked over at Max and raised her eyebrow, seeing the girl looking a bit uncomfortable as she stared out the window. The punk eased up on the pedal a bit and drove through the last parts of Telma proper, tugging the wheel to the right as she turned back onto the road leading in the general direction of their cabin. Her hand dropped from the clutch and wiggled over towards Max's - grabbing it and giving it a squeeze.

"Hey." Chloe spoke up and tried to get Max's attention. The brunette turned her head slightly, watching the punk out of the peripheral of her eye. "I love you."

"Mm." Max replied with a simple hum and looked back. She kept thinking over her rising jealousy, how she felt the anger rise up in her chest when she saw the cashier look at her girlfriend with that _longing_ look. Chloe kept shooting concerned glances at her obviously distracted girlfriend.

"You're pretty dominant when you're jealous.." Chloe teased and hoped to lighten the mood - Max turned to her with a halfhearted smile on her face.

" _Dominant_ , huh?" Max appreciated her girlfriends attempts to lift the atmosphere and indulged her. Chloe wiggled her eyebrows and elicited a giggle from Max at the gesture.

"Let's explore _that_ part of the conversation sometime." Chloe finished off with a wink and turned back to the long winding road ahead.

"Perv."

* * *

At turn of the key and the click of the lock the door swung open. Max took a step inside and gazed around.

It was beautiful. Pine wood walls, pine wood furniture, pine wood counter tops in the relatively modern looking kitchen - everything had a rustic flow that fit the cabin well. A small stone fireplace was sat against one wall, a small flat-screen hanging over it as two couches flanked either side, slightly tilted towards the TV - coffee table in between. There was a double bed with _velvet_ covers, prompting Max to stay her gaze on them for a bit as her mind thought about how much this place must have cost.

"Maximus, keep moving - I've got lots of _heavy_ bags here girlfriend." Chloe spoke up and shoved Max forward slightly as she walked into her. Max quickly took the hint and made way for Chloe, the punk walking past with the plastic bags filled with their purchased items. The brunette closed the door behind them and began to follow the bluenette.

Chloe walked through the cozy living room and placed half of the bags on the small island separating the threshold of the kitchen and living room. Max didn't hesitate for a second as she began to scour the bags, her stomach rumbling quietly - Chloe laughed and walked over to the bed with the rest of the bags. Max fished out a few freshly baked breadsticks and munched on one, watching her girlfriend near the bed.

"You know, I didn't get told that the cabin would be _all_ the way out in the forest." Chloe spoke up as she looked out the window - it had begun to get dark outside already. She turned around and approached Max, a smile radiating from her face as the brunette kept looking on. Max shrugged and bit into her breadstick again.

"Don't care. I just want to sleep in a bed and not the damn truck for a change." Max truthfully spoke and spun on her heels, her eyes scanning over the compact kitchen. It had contained everything that could be considered essential - coffee machine, stove, microwave, sink and a dishwasher - obviously it was meant for long-term stay overs.

"Hey, old faithful ain't _that_ bad." Chloe tried to defend her truck and looked around the cabin herself - it was far better looking in person than in the pictures she was provided with. Max scoffed.

"Old faithful better sort his shit before I decide to sleep in motels everyday." Max took another breadstick and bit into it. Chloe turned around and watched her girlfriend eating, her eyebrows furrowing for a second.

"That'd kill the budget, Maxaroon - we gotta be smart spenders, y'know?" Chloe took a few steps forward and placed her hands on Max's hips, swaying the both of them side to side playfully.

"Oh yeah, like we were smart spenders in the clothes store? What was it - $450?" Max looked up at Chloe as she rolled her eyes. The punk lowered herself down slightly and playfully bit into the half-eaten breadstick in Max's hand. "Hey, get your own!"

"Fine." Chloe let go of Max's hips and walked over to the island, her hands rummaging in the bags as she pulled out her own breadstick. Max walked out of the open kitchen and proceeded into the living room, her gaze still lingering on a few finer details here and there in the cabin - pictures and paintings of the local scenery hung all over, a few taxidermied animals hung up on the walls. Chloe kept her own eyes on the brunette, watching her every move with a smile.

"Chlo...?" Max spoke up and rested her stare on the bed and its velvet covers. Chloe nodded loudly and saw her girlfriend staring at the bed, her mind racing a bit through the possibilities as she pondered over what Max was thinking. "How much did this place cost?"

"Uhm-..." Chloe looked down awkwardly and silently bit into her breadstick, not wanting to answer the question.

" _Chloe…_ " Max turned towards Chloe and looked at her with a stern expression, her hands drifting to her hips as she felt a bit disappointed. Obviously the punk must've spent a considerable amount of money - money that they did in fact _not_ have an infinite supply of. "You _know_ that we don't have anything apart from that $5000, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Chloe looked up sulkily and met Max's gaze, her deep blue eyes piercing Chloe's as they scolded her - she quickly relented and threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted to do something n-nice. For us."

"Oh." Max felt the breath taken out of her by the statement, her heart skipping a beat as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Chloe had wanted to do something nice for _them_ \- not just Max. The brunette had forgotten that this relationship was going to be a two-way street, not just solely focused on Max because of what she's been through - Chloe had wanted to live up a little bit too after the 5 shitty years in Arcadia. Max looked at her sulking girlfriend and felt a bit guilty for making her sad by scolding her for something like this. "Hey..- I-..."

She didn't know what to say to comfort her punk girlfriend. Max walked back into the kitchen, dropped her breadsticks on the island and wrapped her arms around the taller girl, resting her head on her bust as she gave her a long, tight squeeze to relay her apologies. Chloe appreciated the gesture and wrapped her own arms around Max, returning the hug.

"I just w-wanted us to relax a l-little - after all the shit we've been through…- Sorry." Chloe repeated and felt Max squeezing her again.

"Don't be, I should be the one saying sorry. I-... all this time _you've_ been taking _me_ to all these places, _you've_ been encouraging _me_ and keeping all this shit inside me contained.." Max's muffled voice rang out from underneath the punk, the girls tone slightly guilty and apprehensive. "I've been a sucky girlfriend, you deserve to relax too. Sorry."

"I think we both suck." Chloe responded and heard Max giggle quietly. "It's a work-in-progress, right?"

"Work-in-progress." Max repeated her girlfriends statement and nuzzled her face further into the punk, taking comfort in her embrace. Max felt the one thought at the back of her mind scratching her, begging to be brought up. "Chlo-... uhm. W-What about you?"

"Hmm? Whaddya mean ya doofus, I can't read your mind like you can read mine." Chloe teased and felt the smack against her side, her body jolting to the side at the contact. "Hey, it's true!"

"I _can't_ read minds asshole, your one is just easy to figure out." Max spoke and wrapped her arm back around Chloe. "I meant how are you keeping up with all of…- t-this? Like Arcadia a-and… y'know."

"I'm fine." Chloe once again lied, her tone a bit too blunt for her liking. She had become an expert in keeping her feelings down - she didn't need to vent or confess to anything.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are - _Chloe_ \- I told you can I goddamn tell when you're lying." Max moved away from the embrace and jabbed her finger into Chloe's ribs again. She was slightly frustrated with her girlfriends attempts to lie and keep shit to herself. "Stop keeping yourself bottled up."

"Max, I'm fine, okay?! Just lay the fuck off!" Chloe's anger exploded unexpectedly, some of it slipping past the age-old barrier she had kept up inside. She didn't mean to let it happen, yet sometimes even she couldn't stop it from spilling over. Max had completely moved away from the embrace as she kept her eyes on Chloe, hands on her hips. "I'm fine, seriously - you don't need to worry about me."

"Chloe, I _care_ about you. I don't want you to fucking breakdown on me halfway through this damn trip in the middle of nowhere!" Max felt her own voice raise in anger as she pressed on, her finger pointed accusingly at her taller girlfriend. The punks abrupt anger had triggered Max's own defence mechanism in the argument. Chloe simply rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Don't fucking dismiss me like that!"

"What the fuck do you want me to do?!" Chloe shot back and took a step towards Max, the brunette moving away.

"Telling me the fucking truth would be a nice start!"

"Oh, you want me to tell you how fucking conflicted I am about your damn choice? How fucked up I am over the fact that my parents are fucking DEAD? How everyone I've ever f-fucking known is d-dead and bu-... buried under f-fucking Arcadia!?" Chloe's barrier had begun to crack, the hairline fractures causing almost irreversible damage to the once stalwart defender of the punk's psyche. "Well guess fucking WHAT! I'm fucking pissed at it all, fucked up beyond belief as it's fucking eating away at my damn mind all the fucking time!"

Max kept silent as she shrunk in her place a bit, taken aback by her girlfriend - she hadn't ever seen her like this. The atmosphere in the cabin had taken a complete opposite turn.

"But get THIS! I don't even _care_ anymore, my life has been a constant fuck up and I've come to terms with it! My dad fucking _died_ , my mom fucking _died_ , Rachel fucking _died_ and you nearly fucking _died_ trying to save my dumb ass all the fucking time! Perhaps I shouldn't be alive, perhaps you should've fucking chosen that shithole hicktown over my worthless ass!" Chloe stuck out her own finger at Max, the brunette staying silent through the tirade. The punk ignored the sting of tears in the corners of her eyes as she kept going, the barrier unleashing a torrent of dark thoughts and fears that she had kept down for so long. "Why the fuck did you chose me, huh? Because you _love_ me? How long is that going to last, Max? How long before you fucking abandon me again and ride off into the f-fucking sunset?!"

Max felt as if a freight train hit her. Chloe's words had stung and they had stung _deep_. She hadn't expected _this_ when she asked how her girlfriend was holding up. Her own tears had begun to silently trace their way down her cheeks, her heart in pain as each individual word and gesture from Chloe had torn into it. Chloe was in emotional pain but she kept it all down for _her_ , yet here she was breaking apart in front of Max - piece by piece. All this time the punk still had kept her fear of abandonment, her fear of Max leaving once again - even after _everything_ that Max went through that week.

The punk went silent after her last bout of words, her brain finally catching up and processing what had just shot out of her mouth. She instantly began to kick herself mentally, her hands quickly drifting over to the crying brunette to try and hold her - to try and apologize. Her psyche immediately went into emergency mode, quickly starting to repair the barrier that held it all back as she realised that it had finally begun to break in earnest - her hurtful words were the result of that.

"S-Shit-.. M-Max I d-didn't…" Chloe placed her hands on Max but shot them back when the brunette swatted them away. "I-..."

"Don't fucking bother!" Max shouted over her tears, her hands frantically running over her eyes as she tried to wipe them away to regain her vision. "Chloe, after all the fucking shit I've fucking done you still think that I don't love you?!"

"I-..."

"I fucking allowed a freak fucking storm to destroy an entire fucking TOWN! Everyone fucking DIED! Just because I _WANTED_ to be with YOU!" Max stuck out her finger and jabbed it hard into Chloe's sternum, the punk shrinking in her spot as she heard her girlfriend. "Do you ever fucking _THINK_? Do you honestly believe I'd abandon you after what _I_ did?"

"N-No…"

"Well there you fucking go! Chloe, I fucking _LOVE_ you! I went through f-fucking _HELL_ to be with you." Max continued to jab Chloe with each word, each time harder than the last. "I was nearly f-fucking m-molested by my own d-damn fucking TEACHER! I survived it a-all and guess w-what my end f-fucking goal was?!"

"M-Me..?"

"YOU!" Max jabbed Chloe again and kept it there, her tears now covering her entire cheeks as she didn't even bother to wipe them away.

Chloe kept silent as she went over the brunette's words in her head. She felt stupid for her outburst, completely idiotic that she had even thought about the possibility of Max leaving her after everything she did, annoyed at herself for allowing it all to spill over. She fucked up and she fucked up _bigtime_ \- true Chloe Price style. She wanted to say something, to apologize to the best of her ability - but she completely sucked with words. Max had brought up her hands back to her face and began to wipe away the torrent of tears, quiet sobs escaping her mouth as she took in deep breaths to calm down.

"I-.. I'm an a-asshole." Chloe spoke up after a few silent moments, her head dropped down as she kept her gaze on the floor, her hands fiddling behind her back.

"Y-Yes, you a-are." Max confidently spoke back and looked up at her girlfriend. Her heart began to return to its normal rhythm, her tears still coming on - her anger subsiding after she vented most of it away. "C-Chlo, I care about you _s-so_ much..."

"I know. M-Max, I-... Sorry." Chloe couldn't find the right words and instead gave up. Her hand drifted into her leather jacket and took out her crumpled back of cigarettes - she took one out along with her zippo. Her hands shook the entire time as she looked at the brunette. "Uhm..- C-Can we talk after I smoke a cig? I need to c-calm down."

"F-Fine." Max nodded and let out a sigh. Chloe walked past slowly and stopped for a moment, her glance shooting behind her towards Max. She quickly resumed her walk and opened the door, slamming it shut a bit harder than she meant to. The brunette stood quietly in the kitchen and allowed herself to recollect, her thoughts starting to race through as she thought over the argument they've just had. She felt the guilt of sacrificing Arcadia, the guilt of killing everyone in the town - yet it was all overcome with the guilt of her own words. Perhaps if Max hadn't pushed, if she hadn't pried like the nosy hipster she is then Chloe and her wouldn't have the argument. Then again, how long would it last? When would the punk burst on her own, when would she break? It was better to sort everything out now whilst they weren't on the road even if it was hard for them.

Chloe brought the lit cigarette to her lips as she took a drag, the bitter taste filling her mouth as the smoke travelled down to her lungs. She exhaled in a frustrated sigh, the wispy cloud forming around her as she looked ahead at nothing in particular. Max's words had somewhat reassured her - she felt stupid for even considering the possibility of Max abandoned her after everything that happened. That one week in Arcadia, all the events that happened and the storm - the choice - all of it meant they were bonded for life. Yet Chloe had doubted her girlfriend, doubted her ability and willingness to stay with the punk that was so fucked up inside. She let out another sigh and felt herself venting all her emotions, all the anger and bitterness she had once held towards Max for abandoning her. There was no basis for argument here anymore - she wasn't ever going to abandon her ever again, that much was certain now. One weight of many fell off her shoulders.

She haphazardly took another drag of her cigarette and coughed out some of the smoke, her fingers flicking the half-smoked cigarette away onto the forest floor. She grabbed the handle of the door and stopped, turning around and stomping her foot down on the cigarette. _Fire hazard, dumbass._

Max watched as the door opened and her punk girlfriend proceeded inside. Both of them looked much better after their own few moments of recuperation - they were both regretting their words but what's done was done. They both realised that'd this would be a long road to recovery, this trip had only partially begun healing _old_ wounds - never mind the fresh ones that had still been blaring in pain since the storm. Chloe kept her gaze on Max the entire time as she approached, her expression switching between a slight frown and a sulky smile. She stopped a foot or two away from her girlfriend, her hands beside her as she was unsure what to do now.

"I'm sorry." Chloe spoke up and ran her hand through her hair.

"Me too." Max replied and dropped her gaze awkwardly.

"Hey, do you remember the promise that you gave me…?" Chloe brought up the words she had spoken a few days ago after Max's breakdown at Mount Rainier.

"Yeah." Max replied and saw Chloe take a step forward. Her hands drifted down towards Max's and lifted them up towards her face, the punk leaving a few kisses on either one as a sign of apology.

"I should've promised too, huh?" Chloe admitted her mistake. Max nodded again and let out a faint smile.

"Yes, you should've." Max simply spoke and kept her faint smile. "Chloe, I care about you - I don't want you to hurt yourself for me by keeping this hidden."

"I k-know. Max, I'd cross the world over and throw myself in front of danger for you, y'know that right?" Chloe held Max's hands and saw the girl nod.

"Yeah, I seem to have a few memories where you did something like that, yep." Max tried to lift the mood a bit and widened her smile when Chloe laughed.

"Well, I promise to talk to you whenever I need it, m'kay? Just like you promised to me. We're in this together after all, right?" Chloe lowered Max's hand much to her dismay but replaced the gesture with a hug - her arms wrapping around Max as the brunette replied in kind.

"I've been saying that since day one, dork." Max's muffled voice came up from Chloe's tank top, the girl nuzzling her face into her girlfriends chest. Chloe nodded and looked over at one of the bags over on the counter, her eyebrows furrowing for a moment as she thought of something.

"Hey, how about a bath? We're both dirty and absolutely wasted - something relaxing…?" Chloe saw as Max's cheeks instantly turned red, her face burying itself further in her chest as she tried to hide it.

"Chlo-... was this your plan all along?" Max spoke up and heard her girlfriend cough awkwardly. "Oh my dog, you wanted to _seduce_ me into a _bath_?"

"Hey, I never said I was good at the mushy shit." Chloe admitted and chuckled. Max felt the butterflies in her stomach as she thought over the gesture.

"Well…- we _are_ dirty and tired I guess…-" Max felt a bit embarrassed about it - this was Chloe asking her to bathe with her. In the same tub. _Naked_. Max's cheeks flushed with even more red, her entire face almost looking like a well cooked lobster. _Oh my dog._

"I wish you could see your own face right about now." Chloe spoke up and cackled when Max let out a muffled groan. She lightly moved her girlfriend away and looked her over, the brunette doing her best to hide her flaring red cheeks. "Why are you blushing so hard Maximus?"

" _Chloe!_ " Max exclaimed and looked up at her with a slight scowl, expecting the punk instantly realise what the problem was. Chloe let out another loud laugh and pulled Max back into the hug.

"I'd like to remind you that we were both naked under the same blanket just yesterday. I'd also like to remind you that we nearly had s-..."

"Dog, I _know!_ " Max brought up her hands to her cheeks and hid them from nobody in particular - it was just her and Chloe in the cabin. Her heart took the leap just as she did. "Just shush and lead the way."

"As thou command." Chloe gave a formal bow as Max giggled, jabbing the punks side again to bring her back up.

* * *

The two girls entered the bathroom and closed the door behind them, fresh clothes in their hands and the bath supplies in the other. Max looked around the rather small yet cozy room - the tub was far bigger than she'd expected it to be, more than enough room for the two girls. Her mind kept wandering over the cost of it all - Chloe had purposefully spent a lot of money just so the two of them could relax properly in some luxury. Max felt as Chloe shoved her forward a bit, a snicker escaping her lips as she realised how excited her girlfriend was.

"So eager to get me naked already?" Max spoke as she felt some of the confidence she had gained over the past few days return. Chloe purred loudly enough for Max to hear, the brunette giggling in return.

"C'mon, get the water running and prep the bath ya doofus." Chloe handed Max the bathing supplies as her other hand took Max's pile of fresh clothes. The brunette walked up to the bathtub and began to mess around with the taps, trying to get a relatively hot yet not quite scalding temperature in the water. "Shit - do you want some music…?"

"Hopeless romantic." Max rolled her eyes and heard Chloe giggle.

"Get the bath ready, I'll go grab my charger and phone - bee arr bee." Chloe dropped the clothes on a pile of towels and quickly shuffled out of the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind her.

Max bit her lip and ran her finger across her mouth, hesitating for a moment. She was self-conscious about herself, yet it was only yesterday that she and Chloe had been practically all over each other and naked in the old Ford. She finally shrugged and realised that this would eventually become the norm - they _were_ girlfriends. Max begun to quickly undress her top and followed it up by her bra - yet once the cold air hit her breasts she once again stopped and moved her arm over them as she felt a bit awkward. She let out a sigh as she realised that her fear was stupid - Chloe wouldn't laugh at her, would she? Her hands drifted down to her jeans as she continued to undress, the denim trousers being kicked over towards her pile of clothes once she was done. Max hooked her thumbs over her panties and started to drag them down as the door to the bathroom opened. Max squeaked and quickly turned around - wrapping her arms around her chest to cover her breasts.

"Hey, Max - I got some good tu-.." Chloe spoke but froze when she saw Max. Her girlfriend was standing near the bathtub, topless and in her panties, facing away from the bluenette awkwardly. Chloe grinned at Max's embarrassment as she closed the door behind her, she shuffled over towards the sink and plugged her charger in, connecting up her old smartphone and seeing it light up after a few moments. Her eyes drifted over to Max, the girl was still standing still in the same place she had been before - obviously in slight shock. Chloe smirked and put her phone back down, wandering over towards her girlfriend.

"Chlo-..." Max began stopped as she felt two cold hands work their way around her exposed waist, moving up a bit and resting over her own hands covering her chest. Max was a bit uncomfortable, feeling the punk move in closer and press her clothed body against Max's exposed one.

"Max… It's alright. We're girlfriends…-" Chloe spoke softly into the brunette's ear. Max shuddered a bit and felt her punk's hot breath on her - she was still feeling a bit tense about the entire thing.

"I-... Uhm. Chlo-... I've never…- Never exposed myself. To anyone. I-... I'm jus-..." Max tried to stammer out. She wanted to be confident enough to show herself to her Chloe. She wanted it to be normal. It was hard for her with her social anxiety and general insecurity.

"Hey, you're beautiful - okay? You're the cutest girl I've ever seen and I'm lucky to have you." Chloe continued to whisper into Max's ear as she felt the brunette begin to relax. "Your freckles are the cutest too."

" _Chloee.._ "

"Don't you dare slam the freckles girl - that's the best part. At least, that's the best part I've seen _yet_.." Chloe growled and lightly bit Max's earlobe, the brunette letting out a soft moan as she felt the sensation send shocks through her body. "C'mon, open up girlfriend…-"

Max tried to stammer out some words but decided to just stay quiet. She felt as the cold air of the bathroom hit her now exposed breasts again, her hands being pulled down carefully by the punk standing behind her. Max closed her eyes and bit her lip, eventually working up the courage to fully expose her breasts. She turned around slowly as Chloe moved away, opening her eyes to read her girlfriend's reaction. Chloe's jaw was agape.

"I-..." Chloe began as she stared at her girlfriend's breasts, taking them both in individually. She had already touched them before, sure, but she hadn't _seen_ them. Her bust size was only a bit smaller than Chloe herself, not that the punk had much to speak of in the first place. "You're beautiful. Gorgeous. Drop-dead stunning. S-Seriously."

"Chloe, you don'-..."

"I'm so serious right now Max, don't you dare put me down now." Chloe replied and spoke over the brunette, her eyes constantly scanning every inch of Max's torso.

"I-... I've never done this before, okay? I'm just a bit…- nervous." Max's hands began to drift back towards her chest but she stopped herself, allowing them both to drop down beside her again. Chloe nodded and smiled wide, her jaw finally resting normally.

"Don't be nervous, this'll become the norm _soon_..." Chloe teased, a laugh escaping her as she noticed just how flustered the brunette looked at the comment.

"S-Such a perv!" Max managed to speak out and turned around, not wanting to show herself off any further for Chloe. Once again two hands wrapped around Max and pulled her in closer. Max felt as soft lips kissed her shoulders, each individual one landing on a bundle of freckles peppered around the spot. "Chloeee…"

"Alright, alright." Chloe let go of Max and moved away back towards her phone. She drifted over her notifications but dismissed them after noticing there were far more than last time. Her gaze switched back over towards Max, the girl now bending over to check the water and add the bubble-bath solution into it. "Get your cute butt in there already..-"

"B-But…" Max turned around and blushed again, the embarrassment constantly present as her breasts were once again exposed to the punk. Chloe looked over the girl and noticed her hands lingering near her panties, obviously a bit conflicted about whether she should pull them down or not. Chloe understood that they'd have to take this one step at a time - this might be just too much for now.

"Want me turn around for ya? I won't see anything underneath the bubbles anyway.." Chloe reassured her girlfriend and saw her nod promptly. She smiled and turned around, phone still in her hand as she began to browse through her music. "Sorry if I'm coming on too strong..-"

"It's f-fine." Max replied and pulled down her panties quickly. She tossed them over to her pile of clothes and without hesitation stepped into the bathtub, lowering herself down below the sea of bubbles already present - her body now being half-exposed once again. "O-Okay, I'm done."

Chloe smiled and turned around, still focusing on her phone as she played around with her albums. Eventually she found a mix she liked, a few punk songs mixed with rock and some ' _hipster trash'_ as she would call it - her guilty pleasure. She turned the volume up just enough so that it would be heard all around the bathroom yet quiet enough so that her and Max could hold a conversation. She looked over at Max and saw the brunette playing with the bubbles absentmindedly.

"You're still a damn kid." Chloe teased and saw Max shoot her a scowl instantly, her face scrunched up. The punk laughed and began to undress, her tank-top almost instantly being discarded as the brunette watched in shock.

Max quickly looked away and stared at the bubbles, wanting to give her girlfriend some privacy - her heart began to race at the thought of seeing Chloe naked. She felt her cheeks blush yet again - she heard Chloe's jeans drop onto the tiled floor of the bathroom as her heart skipped a beat. She quickly focused herself on the rough beat of the music that played out of Chloe's phone, the guitar riffs that played alongside the drums.

"What ya thinkin' about..?" Chloe's seductive voice broke Max out of her thoughts instantaneously. She shot her gaze at the bluenette and her jaw dropped - more so than when Chloe saw her topless.

Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, staring seductively at the brunette in the bathtub. She was completely naked, completely exposed. Max ran her eyes up from Chloe's eyes and down her body, towards her chest as she saw the slightly larger-than-her-own breasts and below that her lightly toned abs - a simple sapphire button navel piercing glinted in the light. The brunette took a gulp as her eyes lowered themselves further, her jaw threatening to unhinge from its sockets as she saw the neatly trimmed hair - _electric blue_ \- just above the punk's pubic mound. _W-Wowser._

"Y'know that staring is rude, right?" Chloe spoke up again as she crossed her arms a bit, shifting in her place. Max instantly gasped and looked away, embarrassed.

"I-.. uhm. Sorry." Max quietly mumbled under her nose, prompting a quiet chuckle from the bluenette.

"Max, we're girlfriends - you can stare at me all you want, I really don't mind. Now shuffle over a bit, I wanna get in - it's cold." Chloe spoke and then moved over towards the bathtub, watching the brunette shuffle to the side a bit to leave her a spot. "Not the side - move forward."

Max obliged and shifted back, moving forward instead this time. She saw as the bluenette stepped in behind her and lowered herself down into the great bubble sea - her legs spreading apart a bit as she placed them on either side of Max. The brunette felt two hands snake their way around her waist as they pulled her in slowly. Max froze for a second as she felt her girlfriend's naked body press against her back - the two breasts softly touching her shoulder blades. Her heart was absolutely thumping at this point at the thought that she was sitting naked in the bathtub with a naked Chloe pressed against her. She heard the girl behind her giggle.

"Your cheeks are absolutely beet red. Why are you so embarrassed? Do you like it?" The punk spoke and wiggled forward a bit, pressing her further into Max. The girl nearly squirmed at the contact. "Don't worry, babe."

"I-... uhm. Shucks. This is jus-.. So-...".

"Different? Intimate?" Chloe answered Max instantaneously.

"Yeah…- Intimate. I… never thought I'd be doing this." Max lowered her gaze as she felt Chloe's chin rest on her shoulder.

"Max, you nearly had me take your vi-..." Chloe began but was quickly cut off.

" _I know!_ I know…- It's just. This is intimate. Okay? Uhm. Sorry if I made this all awkward for you." Max slumped her shoulders slightly - her body starting to relax as it got used to Chloe's naked body pressing against it.

"Nothing you do is awkward to me, Max. All these things, these little moments when you're shy and awkward and embarrassed…" Chloe spoke softly as she tilted her head a bit, placing light kisses on the brunettes neck."...it's what make you, _you_. I love it all. Don't ever change."

Max relaxed after a few moments as she conceded to the battle raging within her heart. Chloe wouldn't laugh at her, wouldn't make fun of her, wouldn't hurt her. Seeing each other naked would be the norm soon enough as she had pointed out, the sooner she started to get used to it the better for them both. Max felt as her hot cheeks flushed and returned to their normal state - the brunette no longer feeling so embarrassed. Chloe continued to softly kiss her neck, occasionally biting a bit and sucking on one spot - creating hickeys as the punk marked her territory.

"Mm. Are you trying to mark me?" Max whispered as she slumped her head to the side slightly, allowing the bluenette more real estate. Chloe giggled against her neck as she bit down again, her hot breath against the brunette - sucking a bit after her attack. Max let out a quiet, soft moan at the feeling. "Keep-... Keep it going."

 **_** ...Say, you don't want to chance it_ **  
**_You've been hassled before_ **  
**_Watch it now, eagle in the sky_ **  
**_How he dancin' one and only... **_ **

"You're absolutely lovin' this…" Chloe spoke against her neck and continued to do her job. "...horndog."

Max giggled for a few seconds and then interrupted it with another moan as the bluenette marked her down with another hickey. The brunette had begun to forget all about their argument before, her mind now focusing itself on the current moment between the two girls. She felt the punk's hands begin to drift around her abdomen, slowly lowering themselves further into the depths - Max panicked a bit and shot her own hands down, gripping onto Chloe's.

"S-Shit, did I fuck up?" Chloe quickly moved her lips away from Max's neck and looked her over. The brunette shook her head slowly and turned her head towards the punk, smiling to unnerve her.

"No, it's just that…- Do you mind we if j-just cuddle and talk? I don't feel like..- y'know." Max spoke and saw Chloe smile back instantly, her hand drifting back up to Max's abdomen and resting there.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to do." Chloe moved her head back into the crook of Max's neck and resumed her kissing and biting - proceeding at a much slower pace than last time to allow the brunette to adjust herself. The quiet rock song played out of Chloe's phone as both girls enjoyed the atmosphere in the room.

 **_** ...You, lose yourself , no not for pity's sake_ **  
**_There's no real reason to be lonely_ **  
**_Be yourself, give your free will a chance_ **  
**_You've got to work to succeed... **_ **

"Chlo-... can we talk…?" Max finally worked up the courage to bring up the argument. She didn't want either girl to linger on it too long, yet they hadn't finished everything they wanted to say to one another. Chloe's muffled nod came out from under Max's head.

"Go ahead." Chloe spoke and relented her biting, instead focusing herself on leaving simple kisses on Max's neck instead.

"C-Can we make another promise to one another…?" Max asked inquisitively as her hands begun to mess around with the mess of sea bubbles surrounding both the girls.

"Mhm.." Chloe moved her head back up and rested it on Max's shoulder, waiting for the girl to continue.

"If we ever argue like this-... can we make a promise to always sort it out before the end of the day…?" Max looked at her girlfriend, a faint smile resting on her face. Chloe nodded and moved her head forward a bit, kissing Max on the lips and holding it there for a few seconds.

"I promise to sort out any argument we have before the end of the day." Chloe smiled wide and resumed her position on Max's shoulder. She felt much better somehow, the small promise lifting yet another weight from Chloe as she had some kind of assurance that if things went wrong then they'd make up _eventually._

"I promise too."

 **_** ...Owner of a lonely heart_ **  
**_Owner of a lonely heart_ **  
**_Much better than a_ **  
**_Owner of a broken heart_ **  
**_Owner of a lonely heart... **_ **

"Max, I'm really sorry for fucking things up back there." Chloe quietly apologised and stared ahead at the tiled wall. "I didn't mean to say any of those things..-"

"It's alright Chlo, I know. I'm sorry for saying those things too, I tried to g-guilt trip you with the whole Arcadia speech and the choice..- ugh. You've been keeping in so much shit for me..-" Max felt a bit bad for causing her girlfriend's slight breakdown - the punk had kept it all inside herself so she could be strong for Max at any given time. "Thank you."

"Max, I'm glad you're here with me." Chloe left a kiss on Max's shoulder and held it there, her eyes closed as she relished the taste of her brunette girlfriend's skin.

"I'm glad you're here with me too."

"We're both fucked up, aren't we?" Chloe spoke against Max's shoulder and heard the brunette giggle.

"If it means we can be together then I wouldn't have it any other way."


	8. Glorious

_Max opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of the debris, the entire street upturned as the howling, piercing shriek of the wind around her deafened everything. She brought her hands up to her ears immediately and attempted to drown out the sound - the action yielding no results as it had become louder than ever._

_The girl did her best to ignore it, the tone reverberating through her head as she struggled to focus on the task at hand - figuring out where the hell she was. It didn't take long as her first guess was correct - Arcadia Bay. More specifically she was standing on the main thoroughfare near the beach, the gas station just up ahead and the Two Whales looming behind her. Yet something was wrong about it all._

_She watched as the entire street kept shimmering in and out of existence - at one point it had looked completely fine, there was no debris, no dead whales, no upturned cars and no bulldozed buildings. Then it kept hammering back in, each time more and more prevalent - Max saw as each building was torn apart, as each whale corpse flew across the waterfront and smashed into something - she saw the cars flip and turn, set on fire and explode. She was living through the destruction of Arcadia Bay on foot in the middle of it all._

_A hand fell on her shoulder and pulled her back, the girl gasping in surprise - her mouth dropped open as her heart stopped. Kate Marsh stood in front of the brunette, her hand gripping Max's shoulder harder and harder. Yet this wasn't the Kate that Max had remembered - she was heavily bruised, cut, bleeding. Her clothes torn, her skin paler than usual._

_"I'm dead because of you, Maxine."_

* * *

Chloe had already ran across the room as she saw Max thrashing around and whimpering on the bed. She didn't hesitate for a moment as she jumped onto the mattress and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her up frantically and immediately beginning her morning routine with the girl - hugging, kissing, humming. She did her best to ignore the girls mumbling, the voice dying down the further it went along.

"Shh, it's alright." Chloe spoke softly and kissed Max on the temple. She saw the brunette's eyes flutter open after a moment, the tears instantly following suit.

Max wrapped her hands around the arms draped over her chest, the brunette's vice-like grip holding on for dear life. Her sobs begun shortly after, her head being quickly buried in it's usual spot on Chloe's bust. She cried and cried, her emotions once again in turmoil as memories of Arcadia were brought to bear - it had been a daily chore since the storm.

The punk kept silent throughout the entire ordeal, focusing herself on humming soft melodies into Max's ear and caressing the girl in her arms - her own thoughts drowning her in the memories of the storm, albeit to a lesser degree than the brunette had been suffering through. The sobs came frantically at first but began to start dying out after a few minutes - it had started to all become routine for the two girls now, a constant reminder of what they've lived through.

"H-Hi…" Max sniffled and meekly whispered from below the punk - she did her best not to bring up her morning episode in the conversation.

"Heyy..-" Chloe smiled and left a kiss on Max's scalp, one of her hands drifting up into the chestnut nest and stroking through it gently. "How are you?"

"B-Better." Max replied softly and kept her face nuzzled into Chloe's shirt, her hands began to slowly ease their grip on Chloe's arms.

"Do you w-want to talk about it...?" Chloe asked quietly and received a shake of the head. "Okay."

"C-Can we talk later? It's still f-fresh and-..." Max's voice trailed off as her eyes focused on nothing in particular, her thoughts taking over as once again the nightmare played out in her head. Kate's body, the bruised and battered, badly cut and ravaged body - it had sent a sickening feeling into Max's stomach as she forced her eyes shut and let out a lone sob.

"Shh. It's over." Chloe reassured her girlfriend again and squeezed her tight. The punk heard the sizzling coming from the pan in the kitchen, her gaze switching towards the stove as she noticed wispy smoke start to rise up from the pan. "S-Shit, breakfast's on fire."

"Breakfast-.. What...?" Max had only just noticed the pleasant aroma rising in the air, the hiss and crackling coming from the kitchen. She smelt bacon. Lots of bacon. Eggs too. Her mind instantly drifted off the bad thoughts and focused itself on the growling hunger rising in her stomach. "Uhm. I'm hungry."

"Just what I wanted to hear. Stay here and let me sort it out." Chloe left another kiss on Max's temple as the brunette nodded. She felt the two hands relinquish their hold around her - her eyes drifted up to the bluenette punk that stood up from the bed. She was wearing her new black boy shorts and a plain white shirt - Max bit her lip slightly as she looked over her girlfriends hips swaying as she walked over towards the kitchen.

Chloe quickly overtook the situation and brought it back to heel, her focus being particularly on the bacon as she did her best to remember how Max liked hers cooked - it had been over 6 years since they'd last had a proper sleepover and breakfast at the Price household together. Her mind went over the memories of Joyce, her mother, walking around and shouting at the two girls as they messed around during the mornings - the southern drawl sounding stern as she calmed the girls down immediately with the announcement of breakfast being ready. She was lost in her memories as her heart clasped in her chest and begun a slow beat - a stray drop of grease shot out of the pan and hit the girl on her forearm.

"Shit!" Chloe jumped back and swatted away the boiling grease on her hand in frustration.

"Hey, are you okay..?" Max called out from the bed with a groggy voice, the brunette still waking up as she ran her hands over her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good. Stupid grease." Chloe shouted back and trailed off to herself the further she went on. She bit her lip and swore under her breath for getting lost in her memories of her _presumably_ dead mother. A few stray tears had made their way down her cheeks as she ignored them, the punk doing her best to mask her sniffle with the sound of the sizzling pan and the food being cooked.

Max sorted out her bedhead quietly and brushed her fringe out her eyes, focusing them on the punk at work in the kitchen. She lifted the velvet covers off herself and stood up, stretching quietly and feeling the relief as some of her joints cracked with a satisfying pop. There was a nippy draft of air that blew towards the girl as she shook, her only clothes currently consisting of her own shorts and her bra. She reached over towards the pile of clothes on the floor and took her new dark-blue flannel, lazily putting it on and doing up a few buttons to stop most of the cold air hitting her bare body. Slowly she ran her hand through her hair again and began to walk over to the kitchen, her footsteps quietly tapping at the wooden floor as she approached.

"What are you making…?" Max slipped into the kitchen and stood beside her taller girlfriend, the bluenette shooting her a glance and a smile as she gestured to the bacon and eggs on two separate pans. "Ooooo -.."

"Your favourite?" Chloe raised her eyebrow and hoped for the best. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as Max nodded her head. "Uhm..- crispy bacon?"

"Yep." Max wrapped her petite hands around her girlfriend and snuggled into her back, peering at the pans over the side as she took another whiff of the delicious aroma. "Dog. You've remembered _everything_."

"I aim to please." Chloe snickered and gave herself a mental thumbs up for her success. She stirred and cut through the eggs for one last time and took them off the stove, quickly shovelling them into two equal sized portions on the two plates already set out nearby. She felt the brunette constantly holding onto her as she moved, refusing to let go - she didn't mind it at all, even if it did make making breakfast a tad harder.

"Am I being clingy…?" Max noticed Chloe's distracted expression and the slight struggle she walked around with as Max kept her hands around her. The punk immediately shot her gaze at the girl and shook her head with a smile.

'No, you're being you - keep at it doofus." Chloe slightly wiggled her hip as Max held on, both of them giggling at each other. Chloe proceeded to take out the strips of bacon out of the pan and laid them out on either plate, once again going into great care to sort out the portions for them both. Max watched quietly and smiled to herself as she saw Chloe had snagged not one but - _two_ \- extra strips of bacon.

"You're cheating." Max spoke and reached out her hand, grabbing one strip for Chloe's plate and instantly biting into it. "Punishment."

"Hey!" Chloe called out and swatted Max's hand, the brunette growling slightly as she was disturbed during her bacon eating. "Don't you growl at me Caulfield."

"... or what?" Max's curiosity was piqued - her eyebrow raised a bit as she bit into the bacon again and finished it off. Chloe grinned and turned around in the brunette's arms, her own snaked their way down to her hips and gripped on. She began to walk and shove the brunette backwards, Max had quickly found herself up against the kitchen island behind her - the punk continuing to push into her until it _almost_ became uncomfortable. Chloe bent forward over the girl and rested her face inches away, baring her teeth and nipping at Max's nose.

"You don't want to make _me_ growl at _you._ " Chloe saw how flustered the brunette suddenly looked - she was all bark and no bite despite her boost in confidence over the past week - still very much the same hipster girl that came back to Arcadia after 5 years. Max kept her gaze on Chloe the entire time and felt her cheeks burning hot as she shrunk back into her usual, quirky, introverted persona. "Now you go sit down on the bed and stay there until I bring you breakfast."

"O-Okay." Max managed to stammer out and felt as Chloe relieved the pressure she had put on her body, her hands dropping from her hips as she waited for Max to head back to the bed. The brunette spent no time in doing as she was told - her flannel sleeves running over her cheeks as she tried to hide her blush from nobody once again.

It took a minute or two but Chloe finally took the two plates and begun to carry them over to the bed - the brunette sitting cross-legged in the middle and staring at the punk as she approached. Chloe gave her a quick wink and shuffled across the bed on her knees, sitting down in front of Max and giving her a plate of eggs and bacon. She giggled as she could almost see the hipster girl drooling at how _good_ everything looked - Chloe had _definitely_ inherited Joyce's cooking aptitude. Max shovelled a few buttery eggs in her mouth and took a bite of the bacon, chewing on it quietly and looking up after a moment - Chloe was looking at her the entire time, a bit hesitant as she waited for Max's judgement.

"Delish." Max spoke and saw the punk's face instantly turn into a smile.

"Good." Chloe kept the smile on her face and begun digging into her own plate.

The two girls ate their breakfast quietly as neither of them had anything to discuss right now - Max didn't want to talk about her nightmare yet and Chloe didn't want to push the girl into something she didn't want. The clatter of cutlery against plates were the only sounds that broke the otherwise blissful silence - occasionally a bird chattering outside or a buck call in the far distance joined in with the breakfast sounds. Max played around with some of her eggs and brought it up to her mouth lazily, holding the fork there as she allowed the buttery goodness to almost melt in her mouth - only then did she realise that Chloe was once again watching her.

"W-What..?" Max pulled the fork out of her mouth and asked, her gaze lingering over the punk's azure blue orbs.

"You're real cute when you're eating." Chloe pointed out and scrunched up her nose. The brunette quickly caught on and felt the smirk develop on her face.

"You've turned into a big softie." Max pointed her fork at Chloe and watched her girlfriends expression instantly change into a scowl. "It's _soooo_ true, don't even deny it."

"I-..." Chloe had wanted to shoot back a witty response, a one liner or something to defend her street cred - she gave up when she realised it was actually true. "Uhm. Maybe. It's you, y'know?"

"Chlo-.. don't feel the need to change because of me." Max spoke and lowered her fork. The punk shook her head and smiled, her hand taking her own fork and shovelling a few eggs into her mouth.

"I'm not changing, it's more like…- I'm only soft around you, Max. It's…- weird. I knew there was this whole side of _me_ that I d-didn't know-..." Chloe chewed her eggs quietly and rested her head on her curled fist. Her memories travelled back to the slightly happier days of her teenage life - her and Rachel hanging out in American Rust. "You're one of the only two people who brought it out in me."

"O-Oh…- Rachel…?" Max asked inquisitively and received a nod in return. She felt the jealousy rise up slowly but she almost immediately crushed it down, suppressing the emotion - she had nothing to be jealous of. Max was here, Rachel wasn't - that was the grim reality of it. She quietly took the last few of her eggs from her plate and chewed silently, her eyes resting on the space between her and Chloe.

"Hey." Chloe called up quietly and placed her free hand on Max's knee as she gave it a squeeze. Max looked up slowly and met the smiling bluenette with her own, albeit faint, smile. "I hope me going soft isn't going to change us…?"

"What? No!" Max quickly replied and placed her own hand on Chloe's. "I like soft Chloe. She's mushy and nice, comfortable to snuggle and-..."

"Okay, enough of that." Chloe quickly moved in to defend her punk persona. Max curled her hand up into a fist and hit Chloe's knee. "Ow!"

"Asshole." Max chided in and narrowed her eyes on Chloe. The punk crossed her arms and stared back, her own menacing look present in her eye. "You're not fooling anyone with that look, _girlfriend_."

"Who said I was fooling anyone…?" Chloe spoke seductively and began her slow crawl forward, avoiding the plates between her and Max - all four of her limbs working as she approached the brunette. Max dropped her fork and began to crawl back playfully, her giggles setting in as she knew exactly what Chloe was planning to do. "Get back here, Caulfield - I'm not done with you."

"Chloeee-.. EEEEEK!" Max squirmed as she felt the punk grab onto her legs and pull her back - her hands frantically tried to grip the velvet covers in a futile attempt to help herself as the fabric kept slipping out of her grip. The brunette's legs worked to the best of their ability as she began to crawl away once again, only to once again be pulled back in. "Pleaseeeeee…"

"Please what…?" Chloe moved her hands quickly and gripped Max's wrists instead, pinning them up above her head as she moved in to straddle the brunette. Her head rested a few inches from Max's as she watched her girlfriend carefully, waiting for her to respond. "Maxieeeee…-"

"No, No, NO! AWH!" Max began to write around as she felt Chloe's hands shoot down from her wrists, her fingers starting to work their ways into her sides as the sensations began to overflow her body. "CHLO! CHLOEEEE! STOPPP!"

"I can't hear you Caulfield!" Chloe giggled herself as she continued her tickle attack, her body pinning down the brunette as the punk was still straddling her - it had made the whole thing far easier than usual as Max had no way of escaping. The hipster giggled furiously as she tried to catch a breath, her chest hitching between the giggling fits as she kept trying to swat away Chloe's hands.

"CHLOE, STOP! I CAN'T B-BREATHEEE!"

"LALALALA!"

"CHLOEEE!"

_"LALALALA!"_

_"C-CAN'T BREATHE!"_

Chloe watched her girlfriend as she began to actually struggle for breath now, her body attempting to hyperventilate to catch up with the oxygen deprivation. The punk relented her attack and moved her herself closer into the girl, resting right above her as she observed her beginning to breathe in slow, deep breaths - both of their eyes locked in a gaze. Chloe placed her forehead against Max's as she continued to breathe in and out, one of the punks hands moving up from the brunette's side and sliding all the way up to her cheek - resting there softly as she bit her lip.

"C-Chloe, you have to stop going so ha-... STOP!" Max's hand instantly shot down and grabbed Chloe's, the bluenette attempting to go for a surprise tickle with her other hand - Max had managed to catch the movement out of the peripheral of her eye just in time. She burst out laughing and felt the brunette let her grip go, the hand free once again. "Not funny, Chloe."

"Mm." Chloe kept watching Max, the two girls beginning to get lost in their gaze as they forgot about everything around them - it was just them in the world right now. Chloe did her best to satiate her desires for now - the rising lust almost unbearable as she had wanted to go down on the brunette right then and there. Instead, she settled on a kiss - her head moved forward quickly as she forced her tongue through Max's lips, the brunette not offering resistance as she invited the guest in.

The morning had passed quite quickly before they were finished.

* * *

"How the hell did you get _beer?_ " Max spoke as she peered into the bags, her eyebrows furrowing as she was slightly confused - Chloe wasn't 21 so she couldn't legally purchase alcohol, yet somehow she managed to acquire a six-pack from the 24/7 store in the town.

"Max, it's the 21st century girl! Fake ID's are a _must_." Chloe flashed the small piece of card as she sat down in the truck, the door getting slammed shut after her. Max quickly snatched the ID from Chloe and scanned it over carefully, noticing that the punks birth date had indeed been altered so that she'd be _22_.

"Fake ID…- that's so _you_." Max confessed quietly and looked up at her girlfriend. Chloe was looking at her slightly awestruck, obviously surprised with Max's words towards her. Her face quickly turned into a wide grin and she looked back out the windshield.

"It's awesome, I bought ciggies and beer - hella party tonight." Chloe turned the key in the ignition and heard the old V8 roar to life after a few seconds, it's iconic sputtering soon following up with the cloud of smoke behind the rust bucket. Max shook her head and put the plastic card back in Chloe's jacket pocket - her hands adjusting her own beanie afterwards, her chestnut hair sticking close to her face due to the hat.

"No, you are _not_ having a 'hella party tonight'." Max pointed her finger at Chloe as the truck began to drive down the road. The punk instantly shot her glance at Max, her gaze asking for an explanation as she began to pout. " _Chloe!_ You have to drive the damn truck tomorrow!"

"Yeah, _tomorrow!_ Not today - the booze won't have an effect by tomorrow Max." Chloe tried to plead her case, her hand constantly tapping on the clutch as she made a few gestures during her speech. Max shook her head again and crossed her arms, focusing her own gaze on the road ahead. "Maaaaaaaaaaax, don't be like this."

"Chloe -..." Max began and shifted her eyes back at the punk - her cute puppy eyes were in full effect already. The brunettes instantly felt the look tugging at her heartstrings, the gaze pleading so hard for Max to allow this to happen. She sighed and held up her hands in defeat. "Fine-..."

"Yaaaaaaaaas!" Chloe pumped her fist into the air in victory. Max coughed loudly and got her attention back - the brunette had crossed her arms again.

"Two beers at most." Max held up her hand towards Chloe as the punk was about to complain. "Chloe, I have to regulate you - I don't know how you are around alcohol, okay? I hadn't seen you drink _properly_."

"I'm not a lightweight!" Chloe moved in to defend herself again but quickly shrunk underneath Max's judging gaze. "Fineeeee. Two beers."

"Good. I'm sorry but I have to get used to you around alcohol, okay? Until then-... you know." Max looked back out the windshield and saw the town slowly fading through around them, the variety of buildings in different colours contrasting the backdrop of the town - the large mountain ranges on the horizon and the forests surrounding it all.

"Can I get a kiss as compensation at least…?" Chloe puckered her lips a bit and looked at Max. The brunette rolled her eyes and looked back at the road.

"You're pushing your luck, _Price_." Max watched as groups of people walked around the relatively quiet streets of Telma. Chloe scoffed and gripped the steering wheel tighter, annoyed at the restrictions being placed on her by her girlfriend.

"Hmph." Chloe looked out her side window and saw Lake Wenatchee glistening in the distance. She tugged the steering wheel and turned the truck into a road leading towards it. Chloe extended her hand from the clutch and fiddled around with the dials, turning it to the first station on the frequency - the quiet music playing out in the cabin.

**_** ...Here she comes like a brand new day_ **   
**_Belly dancing across the room_ **   
**_In the moonlight I watch her sway_ **   
**_To her rhythm I'll go as groom with grace tonight... **_ **

The Ford rolled through the relatively quiet streets of the town, a few looks and glances being shot towards the rusty truck. It was completely covered in mud as it had to trek through half a forest to get to the cabin, yet that wasn't the main attraction point - it looked barely road legal in the first place and the residents were slightly concerned about the sighting of this unknown phantom in their tight-knit community.

Max kept her gaze out the windshield as she noticed the approaching body of water. The sun had just come up to a relatively comfortable height so that it had begun to shine rays of lights through the tree-topped horizon - the reflection glistening serenely as the entire lake was calm. The brunette saw a few boats further out, one of them even carrying a sail, as she figured that the lake must probably be a popular fishing spot. She heard the clutch whine quietly next to her as Chloe began to slow the truck down, parking it up in a quiet spot nearby the beach as there was no official parking anywhere - the radio was the only noticeable disturbance in the relative peace that had befallen upon them.

**_** ...She's bringing me in_ **   
**_Checking me out_ **   
**_Making me Glorious... **_ **

"C'mon, let's go." Chloe's hand floated over the radio and turned it off, jumping out the truck and slamming the door behind her. The sound echoed out all around them, the sudden shock sending a few birds flying out of nearby tries. Max closed her door far more carefully, not wanting to disturb anything anymore - her punk girlfriend was a disturbance enough to humans and animals alike. Max quickly made her way around the nose of the Ford and wrapped her arm under Chloe's, her body leaning into her side as it pleaded for a bit of contact with the girl.

The two girls began their quiet walk alongside the beach of the lake - there was no proper sand anywhere in sight, it was mostly rocks and stones with very few smooth edges as it created the overall opinion of being a very uninviting spot at first. Yet there was the ambient sound of the water hitting the rocks calmly, the shouts in the distance from fishermen, birds chattering and tweeting - their song joined in by an occasional buck call. All of it had cast an extremely soothing atmosphere, the tranquil presence hung heavy in the air around the entire lake as it more than made up for the lack of a proper beach. Max kept silent as her eyes were closed, her head nuzzled into Chloe's shoulder as her breathing had reached an extremely slow, calming state.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Max spoke up after a few minutes, finally opening her eyes and looking up at the punk. Chloe had focused herself on the view of the lake, the far shore holding scenic rock outcroppings and patches of forest dotted around. She looked back down at her girlfriend and smiled.

"Yeah." Chloe resumed watching over the view, ignoring the quiet fumbling beside her as she figured that Max was retrieving her camera. She looked back after a moment and lo-and-behold, Max was holding her polaroid camera and looking over it carefully. Her eyes drifted up to Chloe as she smiled.

"Picture?"

"Hella yes."

They quickly assumed their positions near the lake, Chloe slipped her arm around Max and pulled her in close - their heads butting softly as they both stared up at the camera. Max fumbled around a bit and adjusted a few things, scrunching up her nose as she got busy trying find the right angle for them both. In short time Max had finally found the angle she was happy with and smiled wide, her finger pressing down the button.

_*snap*_

_*whirrr*_

The silvery polaroid snaked its way out of the camera, the brunette's hands shooting forward to grab it before it fell. She pulled it out slowly and gave it a shake, her eyes focusing on the developing area of jet black - her expression began to change from a frown to a wide, beaming smile. Chloe butted her head in again and saw the picture, her own smile forming on her face - she quickly turned her head and gave Max a smooch on the cheek in appreciation.

The two girls were standing arm in arm, their faces holding expressions of pure momentary joy - neither of them had the storm nor Arcadia on their mind in the picture. Their backdrop consisted of the sunlit lake, the horizon holding the contrasting colours of the pine woods and hints of rising mountains barely visible above it all. The picture was taken at a perfect angle to capture a god ray shining in between both the girls, lighting up both their faces slightly to finish off the entire scene.

"Max, I'll never know how you're so hella good at this." Chloe spoke against Max's cheek and gave her another kiss, following it up with another one, and another one. Max giggled and turned her head into Chloe's, meeting her lips with her own as she gave them a long smooch in return.

"Must be the company I keep." Max giggled and looked back over to the picture. She ran her thumb over it and felt happy emotions pooling at her heart, her memories of this mornings nightmare and all associated feelings being washed away. She opened up her camera bag and placed the polaroid camera inside, the actual polaroid being placed in a separate compartment with the rest of their road trip photo's.

Max and Chloe resumed their walk along the quiet edge of the lake, their path uninterrupted as they had managed to arrive in Telma out of the tourist season - not that they cared what season it was anyway. They were together and that was all that mattered to them.

"How'd you feel about heading to Idaho after this?" Chloe broke the placid silence after a couple of minutes. They had both managed to walk far enough that the truck was now almost out of sight, yet they both had managed to keep next to the water edge so they could find their way back in case. Max pulled up her head from Chloe's shoulder and looked at her.

"Uhm. I don't know..? I've never been there." Max spoke and heard Chloe laugh, the arm around her squeezing tight.

"Yeah, I've never been there either - we're _both_ on a road trip ya doofus." Chloe teased Max a bit and gave her a kiss on the forehead - the brunette kicking herself mentally for sounding stupid. "We could slip down south, through Utah or Wyoming and then head into Colorado…"

"Dog, you're _really_ hell bent on getting to Colorado, ain't you?" Max rolled her eyes and burrowed her face back into the punk's shoulder. "Pothead."

"Correction - _your_ pothead."

" _My_ pothead."

Chloe giggled and led the two of them down the path that had begun to crop up, neither girl really caring where it was destined. They had once again fallen into silence as neither wanted to break up the ambient noise that had begun all around them - there was a mix of just about everything right now. The lake, distant shouts, buck calling, birds tweeting and chattering, the wind whooshing between the pines, the very creaking of each individual tree around them - it all felt overwhelming yet so _peaceful._

"I'm excited." Max blurted out randomly a few minutes down the path. They were walking in a forested part of the path right now, the tree's shielding them on either side as vestiges of the lake shone through the gaps on their left - a few rock outcrops covering parts of it completely.

"What are ya excited about…?" Chloe asked with a quizzical expression on her face. Max scrunched up her face and looked up from the punk's shoulder.

"Everything. I-... Chloe..-" Max had wanted to ask a question yet felt a bit awkward about its nature - they hadn't yet finished their road trip yet the brunette was already wondering over things in the far, far future. "Uhm."

"Go on, shoot."

"Where…- Where do you see us going?" Max looked up and met Chloe's gaze. There it was again - the mischievous glint in her azure blue eyes as her wit went to work yet again.

"On a road trip - Max, you got short term memor-.." Chloe began but felt the fist pound against her chest a little bit harder than she'd have liked. "Ow!"

"Ass. Hole." Max snarled quietly and looked away, her eyesight looking down at the path in front of them. "You know what I meant."

"Y-Yeah, I did." Chloe let out a quiet sigh and ran her hand over her forehead, brushing away loose strands of electric blue. "I-.. Damn. That's a heavy question, Max."

"I k-know. Uhm. Actually, you know what? Don't answer." Max nuzzled her face into Chloe's shoulder and kept quiet. The punk chuckled and looked down at her beanie-wearing hipster - her heart rising high in her chest as she went over the question in her head. It had gone to extreme lengths to reassure her that Max was planning to stay this time.

"I don't know Max. I just want you to stick around with me until the end of time. Partners in crime and in time, right?" Chloe felt the brunette against her shoulder nodding softly.

"Partners in crime and in time." Max repeated, her voice muffled against the leather jacket the punk was wearing. The hipster brought up her free hand and held out her pinky, waiting for Chloe. The punk giggled at the gesture and brought up her own free hand, their pinkies hooking together as they made the unspoken vow.

"You've no idea how happy just this little stuff makes me." Chloe confessed quietly and dropped her hand from the pinky swear. Max looked up and raised her eyebrow. "It's been so long since I've experienced some of this shit, y'know? The last 5 years were a living nightmare for me."

"It's not going to last forever." Max admitted, the slight guilt rising in her chest as she felt like she was ruining the moment by speaking the truth. Chloe nodded and dropped her head on Max's own, her face prodding itself into the warm fabric of the simple beanie.

"I know. Let's make it last as long as possible, okay?" Chloe's muffled voice rang out above the brunette - the hot breath of the punk easily seeping through the beanie and onto Max's head. She nodded quietly and kept her eyes ahead on the dirt path.

"Lets."

Silence had once again befallen the couple as they continued their slow walk down the path to anywhere. Their minds found themselves occupied on the words they've exchanged, the questions they've asked. Whereas Max had focused herself on the questions of the future, on sorting a life with Chloe and unravelling the mystery of their destiny - Chloe herself had fallen back on a few recent memories. More specifically - Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield.

"M-Max?" Chloe spoke up, a bit apprehensive about how to approach this subject. She wasn't sure if it was smart bringing up Max's parents right now, whether or not the brunette would even want to speak about it at all. Max nodded quietly and squeezed Chloe to show that she was listening. "This might seem a bit heavy right now, but…- What about Ryan a-and Vanessa?"

"What?" Max shot out almost instantly, her parents names triggering an almost defensive response in her. Chloe looked down as her eyes widened, unsure how to read the brunette right now. "W-What do you mean?"

"I-In the parking lot, all those days ago - remember? Y-You said you didn't want to talk with them _right now_." Chloe spoke and saw the brunette nodding, her gaze constantly resting on the punk. "Uhm. After this road trip - whenever it ends - … what do you want to d-do?"

"O-Oh." Max lowered her gaze as she was unsure how to respond. Chloe looked away and focused herself on the small snaps of the lake peering in between the trees to their left. "I-.. I don't know."

"Well - d-do you think you'll want to return or…?" Chloe kept her eyes on the lake. She heard the crinkle of her leather jacket next to her, the grip around her waist tightening itself - Max had nuzzled herself back into Chloe as she thought over what she just said.

"Chlo-... Have y-you ever thought about s-starting over?" Max spoke quietly and heard the punk nod after a moment of silence.

"All the time."

"H-How about we do just that?" Max continued and kept her tight grip on Chloe, fearing a wrong word or move could break the girl. "Let's just start over - t-together."

"Together?" Chloe replied and began to slow down the two girls at the end of the path - they had begun to approach the lake now, the water only a few dozen metres away. Max nodded and moved her head out of the punk's shoulder, her eyes resting on the end of the path. The bluenette shifted her gaze down to her girlfriend, a faint smile resting on both their faces. She moved in slowly and left a kiss on Max's temple, her lips lingering there as she closed her eyes - her thoughts gathering up as she was wondering over the idea.

"S-So…?" Max closed her own eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air, her girlfriend's lips against her skin soothing her ever further ahead of their decision.

"Let's do it."

Max kept silent and turned towards Chloe, her arms completely wrapping themselves around the girl as she gave her a hug. The punk quickly reciprocated with her own, holding her hipster girl close as neither wanted to speak another word.

* * *

The warm glow of the fire had engulfed the surrounding area with its embers, the stray things occasionally rising up out of the burning log pit - stones placed in a rough circle around it to prevent the fire from escaping. The crackle of sticks burning, leaves slowly turning to ash with a quiet hiss that was indistinguishable from the rest of the ambient sounds around the rough fire-pit - crickets chirping, the sway of the tree trunks, the occasional hoot of an owl in the far distance. The day had reached its halcyon time - the world floating between dusk and dawn as the darkness had completely swept up all around everything but the fire.

Chloe sat quietly on the log a few feet away from the fire, her eyes focusing on the dancing flame amongst the stones - her hand holding a beer bottle by its neck, periodically being brought up to her mouth as she took a swig of the bitter drink. It had left a terrible aftertaste in her mouth, the cheap brand probably not helping her case, yet she didn't care - it had been far too long since she drank something relatively comparable to alcohol. Her thoughts hovered across her mind as she was lost in the conversation from just a few hours ago, the life-changing decision she had made so easily with her girlfriend. She was parted from her mind when she heard the door close quietly nearby.

Max walked out of the cabin with a blanket in her hand, carefully navigating her war over towards the make-do fire pit without making a sound - she had wanted to keep quiet, to keep the atmosphere in its current balance - not wanting to disturb nature in its flow. The brunette unfurled the blanket and quickly wrapped it around her punk girlfriend, her knees bending slightly as she sat herself down on her lap and curled up against the bluenette. Chloe put down her beer bottle and wrapped her hands around the girl, holding onto the blanket for both of them - they were completely covered by the fabric as the extra warmth it provided gave them comfort in the cold October night.

They both sat quietly in their blanketed embrace, their eyes resting on the flames of the fire just ahead, the rhythmic twirling and whirling of the flames causing both of them to simply focus and learn the dance of the beast. A gust of wind had blown through the area as the flames suddenly tried to sputter out of the pit, the rough stones on the edge stopping the fire from spreading out of its containment. Max let out a quiet sigh and burrowed into her girlfriend's chest, the punk leaving a kiss on her chestnut hair - the beanie-less hipster smiling against her punk at the gesture.

"I'm excited for it all." Max quietly spoke as she finally broken the nearly hour long silence the two girls had been sat in - they didn't need words to convey what they were feeling during that entire period. Chloe nodded and watched flames once again try to escape their prison, the rocks immediately stopping the embers short of the forest floor.

"Me too, Max. Me too." Chloe brought up one hand near the edge of the blanket and began to play around absentmindedly with Max's hair, her fingers curling the strands around and scratching at her skin periodically.

"Chloe…?"

"Yeah?" Chloe looked down at her girlfriend, the brunette moving her own head out of it's nest - their eyes meeting halfway.

"Are…- are we going to get m-married...?" Max mumbled awkwardly, unsure if the question was even appropriate for the moment. Chloe chuckled and moved in for a kiss, lingering her lips on Max's for a few seconds as they formed a smile.

"We're _hella_ gonna get married." Chloe replied and moved her hand down from Max's hair, snaking its way around to the 'V' of her slightly unbuttoned flannel - her blue-nailed fingers began to scratch and run over the skin as they drew random patterns. Max smiled wide and felt her heart skip a beat at the confirmation of her question - her head dropping onto the punk's shoulder to allow the taller girl to continue her artsy spirit on her skin. Max heard the quiet sniffle just above, her gaze quickly travelling towards the source - the punk quietly shedding tears as she smiled, her own eyes resting on the flames again.

"W-What's up…?" Max asked and watched Chloe look down, her smile still present as the tears glistened in the ember glow.

"M-Max…- You've no idea just how happy I am right now." Chloe confessed and let out a quiet sob, quickly running her hand under her nose as she tried to not look sappy.

"I'm happy too." Max reassured her girlfriend and saw her smile grow a bit wider.

"I k-know. It's just that for the first time in my life, _the first time_ , I feel like I have purpose. Like I have a place somewhere, y'know?" Chloe continued quietly and looked away. Max slipped her own hand through the blanket and brought it up, grabbing Chloe's as she gave it a squeeze.

"Hey. You're always going to have a place, okay?" Max moved the hand down to her own chest, placing it right above her heart in the cheesiest move under the sun. Well, the _moon_. "Right here."

"Oh stop - you're going to make me completely bawl." Chloe quickly hitched her breath as she let out a half-sob and half-laugh, her smile growing to it's widest proportions yet as her heart soared out of her chest. "You're like the cheesiest, sappiest, most cliched and cutest, dorky hipster geek anyone could ever ask for."

"Are there many people that ask for those…?" Max teased a bit and got Chloe to let out another half-chuckle and half-sob.

"Just me." Chloe admitted and closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself - she was hurting her punk street cred by turning soft, yet a big part of her didn't care at _all._

The two girls giggled amongst themselves, their sounds not carrying far beyond the fire-pit as they did their best not to disturb the world in its slumber. Chloe was completely over the moon, far beyond the stars, travelling through the galaxies and right out of the damn universe - she had everything she could ever ask for and more. The feeling in her stomach, her chest, her head - it was all comparable to the joyous, carefree feeling of a marijuana high. That was artificial though, done in controlled amounts with the use of recreational drugs - what Chloe was feeling was _different_ , it was _real_. It sure as hell beat _any_ high that the punk had ever experienced.

Chloe reached underneath her legs after a few minutes and grasped onto the glass bottle resting in between, bringing it up through the blanket quietly and placing it against her lip - the bitter drink making its way down her throat as she tipped the bottle. Max watched her girlfriend and scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Yuck." Max simply spoke and looked away. Chloe lowered the bottle and giggled, her eyes drifting between the hipster and the beer.

"Heeeeyyyy…-" Chloe teased a bit and began to move the bottle towards Max's mouth. The brunette immediately moved her head away, shaking it slightly.

"No, it's disgusting." Max spoke and kept her head away as the bottle advanced. Chloe kept a grin on her face as she saw the brunette had ran out of space to move, her head staying still whilst the bottle kept moving forward to her lips.

"C'mon Max… just a taste?" Chloe pouted a bit as she tried to coerce her girlfriend into taking a sip of the alcohol. "It's not that bad…-"

"Y-Yes it is!" Max shot back quietly, squirming a bit as the bottle was only a few inches away from her lips now. "Chloeee."

"Just give it a try…? Pleaseee…" Chloe once again threw up her puppy eyes, batting her eyelashes innocently at her girlfriend. Max switched her gaze between the bottle and the punk, one part of her wanting to indulge the punk and live a little - the other screaming at her to stop, her social anxiety kicking in. She gave into the winning side and nodded quietly after a moment. "Yayy!"

"J-Just…- Just a taste, okay?" Max spoke softly and received a quick nod from her girlfriend. Her own hand drifted up to the bottle as her fingers lingered over Chloe's, ensuring that she'd have some sort of control over the amount of beer she'd have to drink to get a taster. She gave the punk a weak smile and allowed the bottle to touch her lips, the entire thing slowly tipping into her mouth.

The hipster almost gagged and spluttered out the bitter drink once it began to come down her throat, residue amounts of it being spat out to the side afterwards. Her hands instantly lowered the bottle back down as Chloe laughed, her head shaking side to side as she ran her tongue over and over in her mouth, the aftertaste being almost unbearable for the inexperienced drinker.

"Blegh - that's bad." Max spoke after a moment, her comment eliciting a loud chuckle from her girlfriend. "Ewww, the aftertaste is _horrible._ "

"Hey, I got something for that…-" Chloe spoke quietly and put down her beer bottle again. Her hand drifted up to Max's cheek and cupped it, slowly pulling her into a kiss without hesitation. Their eyes closed as their tongues darted forward and began their dance, the sour and bitter taste mixing in their mouths as they ignored it. Max ran her own two hands from underneath the blanket and placed them behind Chloe's neck, wanting to taste more of the punk as she lightly pulled her further into the kiss - the bluenette smiling at her eagerness.

"Mm - I could drink a bit more if _that_ is the reward I get…-" Max spoke after a few moments as they broke their kiss, their forehead staying together as they gazed into each other's eyes. Chloe let out a smirk and moved in for a chaste peck on Max's lips, her two hands snaking their way underneath the brunette's arms and wrapping back around on her shoulders.

"Perhaps you _should_ drink more. Who knows what you might be capable of under influence…?" Chloe teased a bit and tugged at Max's lip with her teeth, pulling them away a bit as the brunette softly moaned and smiled.

"You're trying to get me drunk - seducing me _again_ …?" Max saw right through Chloe. The punk instantly stopped her teasing and stared gobsmacked at her girlfriend - like a deer in the headlights. Max let out a giggle and used the hands still around her neck to pull the punk into another kiss, this time her one tongue initiating the clash. Chloe kissed back with ferocity as she felt her heart pounding away, her abdomen alighting on fire as her body became hotter - perhaps due to the fire, the blanket or the contact with the brunette. Perhaps all of it combined.

"I don't need to seduce you, I already have you wrapped around my finger…" Chloe moved away from the kiss and brought her index finger near their faces, swirling it around slowly as she gestured. Max grinned and saw her chance.

"Oh? I'd like see just how _that_ might look..-" Max moved in next to Chloe's ear and purred out the words. Immediately the punk felt the explosion of lust, passion and love in her chest as she heard the brunette - her body seared with warmth as she was caught wordless, her vocabulary erased from her head as she couldn't speak back. She decided to respond in the best way she could - her head shot forward and she heard her teeth clatter with Max's as they frantically began to kiss again, both of them feeling the pooling embers in their abdomen as hands began to glide around their bodies.

The crackle and hiss of the fire was broken up by soft moans, huffs and puffs and the quiet creaking of the log as it moved around uncomfortably in its place. The two girls were locked in their passionate kiss as they kept going, ignoring the unbearable scalding heat between the two of them - their blanket quickly slipping off as the cold, fall air hit them. Goosebumps made their way up their arms and shivers were sent across their spines but they ignored it - their lips constantly moved in rhythm as they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"F-Fuck Max, you've no idea..-" Chloe spoke between their kisses, her hands now gripping onto Max's hips as the brunette straddled her. Max loomed over the girl slightly with her now present height advantage and smirked - their foreheads in contact as they felt the thin layer of sweat sticking them together. One of the punks hands drifted slowly down from the brunette's hip and onto her thigh, sensually beginning to caress the inner part as the brunette felt the tug in her abdomen - she bit her lip and moved even closer to her girlfriend, her body lusting for more contact with the hand.

"O-Ooh..-" Max bit her lip harder and moaned quietly when she felt the hand begin its slow crawl further in, resting inches away from the warmth flowing around below her waistband. Chloe grinned at her teasing and moved her head down, resting it underneath the girl's neck and starting her soft bites - Max occasionally letting out a quiet moan in response to the sensation of the hand and the bites combined. "Mm..-"

"M-Max...?" Chloe spoke up and moved away from below her head, her eyes resting on Max's as they looked at each other and shared their feelings through the gaze - lust, passion, love and _longing_ for what was about to come. "Are y-you sure you want this?"

"I-... I'm a little bit s-scared - but y-yeah. I want this." Max quietly spoke and flashed a weak smile - she was appreciative of the fact that Chloe had asked her beforehand, the punk scared of doing something wrong or moving things too fast. Her girlfriend smiled wide and pecked Max's lips.

"I'm having you tonight, Caulfield." Chloe moved back below Max's head and resumed her bites, her soft kisses. Her muffled voice came up from underneath the brunette, the sultry tone breaking Max's daze as her own heart pounded away at her chest. " _All_ of you."

"P-Please d-..ooh-..." Max felt her sentence interrupted by another moan as Chloe gripped her thigh harder. The brunette began to slowly grind forwards as she internally screamed for even more contact with Chloe's hand, wanting the punk to advance the moment so _much_ more. The older girl giggled quietly as she felt the grinding come in, her mind understanding her girlfriend's wishes - yet she continued her teasing and punished the girl by moving her hand away with each grind. "Chloeeee…"

The hipster girl moaned out again as the hand found it's way back into position after a moment, this time resting inches away from Max's fully clothed sex - the heat emanating even through the thick fabric of the denim jeans. Her grinding slowed down as she wanted to ride out the feeling rather than get greedy, yet her body kept screaming for more - the lust that had enveloped her mind repressed everything else. She opened her eyes and kept them half-lidded, her orbs travelling at the electric blue nest just below as she felt the bites, kisses and soft sucking - the punk was marking her once again. She felt the hot sensation whirring around in her lower abdomen, her skin crawling with goosebumps at the same time from the cold wind blowing over the two.

"W-We should head inside…-" Chloe spoke up and kept at her routine, her eyes closed as she herself was enjoying the moment.

"M-Mhm.." Max hummed out quietly and continued her grind. She stopped after a few seconds as she felt the hands move away from her inner thigh and hip - snaking down below her and gripping on tight. Max quickly understood the movement and wrapped her own two arms around Chloe's neck, her hands holding onto the shirt, her legs carefully wrapping themselves around the punk's waist. Her stomach nearly flipped when she felt herself getting heaved up after a few seconds, the punk rising up with a quiet grunt and swaying side to side a bit.

"You're h-heavier than you look." Chloe spoke and giggled as she tried to turn the two of them towards the cabin. There was no doubt - she was straining her muscles to carry the girl, yet her body allowed itself to be exerted to great lengths just so she could do this. Max quickly burrowed her head in the crook of Chloe's neck, starting her own conquest of the territory with bites and kisses.

The two of them struggled towards the cabin door, the punk slamming her back against it and hoping that it wouldn't give way - they were once again locked in a kiss before even reaching the wooden barrier. Chloe lowered one hand from below Max and tapped around behind her frantically, trying to find the doorknob, the cold metal - the saviour of the situation. Her hands quickly gripped onto the steel knob and turned it, opening the door quickly as the punk's body weight did the rest - the two girls nearly falling inside the cabin.

The door slammed shut after a quiet moment.

 


	9. First Day Of My Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is explicitly smut - feel free to skip as there isn't any major story development.

The door slammed shut almost immediately, the flimsy wooden thing being held closed by the weight of the brunette being pinned against it - the girl still hoisted up by her girlfriend as their bodies were pressed against one another. Chloe's hands held their grip right below her thighs, her tongue working frantically mid-kiss as she let out a hot breath through her nose - Max following suit with her own as her hands began to drift through the electric blue hair. The punk felt sure of herself as she completely pressed against the hipster, allowing her hands to relent their grip as she felt the weight get heavier without her support - Max now doing all the work as she held onto Chloe. Hands began to slip under the deep-blue flannel of the brunette, the cold things leaving a trail that quickly thawed as they continued further up towards the thin black fabric resting over Max's breasts. Fingers slipped underneath and began to knead her nipples, the girl releasing a whine of pleasure into the mouth of her lover as the electric sensation gave her a kick.

"Ooooh, fuuuck~.." Max moaned out mid-kiss and felt the lips crashing against hers turn into a faint smile. Chloe began to slowly move out of the passionate kiss, her lips starting to lightly brush against her skin as they made their way down along her jawline - occasionally interrupted by a bite - the destination being Max's neck. The brunette kept her eyes closed and craned her neck sideways as she felt the hickeys starting to be made, soft moans escaping her lips as the combined pleasure from the kisses and her nipples being caressed shot through her body. Max felt the pale hands slip back out from underneath her bra and quickly wrap around her back, the fingers working inefficiently to unhook the damned thing - Chloe had struggled with it clearly in her slightly inebriated state.

"Motherf-.. F-Finally.." Chloe's muffled voice came up from underneath Max as she had managed to unhook the bra, the brunette giggling quietly and interrupting it with another moan as yet another hickey was made. She felt the fabric slip down her torso and heard it hit the floor quietly. The punk's hands worked back around towards her front and began to unbutton the flannel - the process being far easier than the bra. She opened the shirt wide and exposed Max to herself, the brunette not caring much as the hand began to work over the soft mounds again, the fingers periodically running over the hardened nipples as she playfully tugged and pinched them to pleasure Max.

Suddenly the younger girl felt the hot sensation of a tongue against her ever hotter skin - the tingling feeling travelling through her as she shivered in response. Chloe had began to trace her way down ever further, arching her back so she could reach Max's bust - her tongue recovering its position back in her mouth as she began to softly kiss her girlfriend's breasts. Max moaned out in pleasure again and felt her girlfriend's tender lips floating over one nipple, beginning to bite and suck on it softly as the motion once again shot bolts of electricity through the hipster girl - Chloe's other hand carefully worked over the other breast before she began to switch, her tongue trailing across to the other side.

"Oh…- Chlo-..." Max whimpered out her girlfriends name and slumped her head back against the door behind her, the words acting like propellant for the punk as she began to work even harder to pleasure the girl. Max felt her grip tightening around her girlfriend's neck, the plucking feeling in her abdomen spreading the warmth around as her bluenette punk continued her routine. The hipster suddenly felt her stomach do a near flip as her body began to slide down the door - Chloe's legs had begun to slowly buckle under the constant pressure. She quickly acted and moved back up from her girlfriend's bust, much to her dismay, as her hands wrapped underneath the girl again and held her back up.

"H-Hold on." Chloe spoke softly and saw Max nod after a moment, her hands wrapped around her neck as they held on tight. With every ounce of strength left Chloe once again lifted up the brunette, her body swaying side to side for a moment before turning them towards the bed. Max could almost feel the pressure she had put on her girlfriend with her weight, yet the punk didn't complain and soldiered on towards the double bed nestled in the corner of the cabin. Max rewarded her knight in leather, punky armour by starting to kiss her neck and biting into it tenderly - her actions earning a quiet moan from the taller girl carrying her. They reached the bed moments later as Chloe regained her composure after a second, the strain on her muscles giving her slight aches.

Chloe carefully lowered Max onto the velvet bedding, standing in front of the bed and quickly working her way to her leather jacket, frantically taking it off and following it up with her shirt - pulling the damn thing over her head as she didn't want to keep Max waiting. She lowered herself over her girlfriend and supported her weight using her elbows, her face diving back into a passionate, lust-filled kiss with the brunette. Max's hands worked out from around her neck and wrapped around her back instead, the girl returning the favour and trying to take off Chloe's sports bra for her. Chloe quickly understood and lifted herself off slightly, holding her arms out as Max struggled with the tightness of the fabric covering the punk's chest. A few moments later, moments filled with soft kisses, whispers and quiet giggling, the bra had finally been conquered as it snaked up and over the bluenette's head - exposing her own, slightly larger breasts.

The two girls looked at each other with an intense gaze, their eyes piercing through as they oh-so-longed for this moment. Chloe slowly lowered herself back down towards Max's chest, her tongue leaving another hot trail from just beneath Max's jaw and working all the way down until it stopped between her breasts. Her hands slowly kneaded and tugged the nipples again, the brunette arching her back ever so slightly in pleasure - her eyes rolling back slightly in the lust-indulged daze. Max felt the lips envelop her nipples once again, the tongue lapping at the hardened nubs as each movement made the girl slightly twitch, her moans emanating at an almost regular pace. Max had become like jello in Chloe's hands, her heart beating faster as the spikes of pleasure kept her blood moving - threatening to almost set it on fire with the warmth she was experiencing. Chloe felt the heat emanating from just below Max's waistband, the source close to her own abdomen as she could tell just how wet her girlfriend was at the moment. She slowed down her licks and bites and began to move back up over the brunette, purposefully brushing her own body against hers as they both moaned when their perky nipples touched.

Chloe used one hand to support her weight on her elbow, resting it beside Max's head as she placed her forehead against hers - her other hand starting to slowly working down from her breasts and ending up on her abdomen. Max bit her lip, opening her eyes and exchanging a stare with her girlfriend - their eyes still filled with the same emotions they had seen moments ago near the fire pit. Chloe felt a bit adventurous and decided to tease the girl a bit, her hand continuing to drift down over her jeans and softly cupping her pubic area - the heat almost singing her skin through the denim.

"Fuck~…- Chloee, pleaseeee…" Max moaned out and arched her back, the soft touch through the thick fabric was enough yet at the same time it wasn't - she wanted, no, she _needed_ more.

"Please what…?" Chloe watched over her slightly squirming girlfriend, her hand tightening slightly around her sex as she moaned loudly again. She might be a punk, she might be turning soft, but there was one thing she had to teach Max first - this was _her_ playground.

"J-Just...- pleaseee.." Max opened her eyes again and moved in for a sloppy kiss, lingering her lips over Chloe's and hoping it was enough. It wasn't.

"Please, fuck me." Chloe commanded and felt her own abdomen flare up at her own words, the simple things turning her on. Her hand twitched slightly and elicited another moan from Max, the girl doing her best to keep a half-scowl on Chloe.

"Pleaseee…- f-fuck me." Max repeated her words and saw the punk grin wide, her mouth clashing against hers once again as her tongue was forced into her mouth. Max felt the hand move back up from it's spot, the girl feeling a bit cheated as she thought that Chloe was merely teasing her. The punk moved away from their sloppy kiss as a strand of saliva had slightly connected them before breaking - Max saw as the girl began to once again lower herself back down, her head craning up on her neck as she watched the nest of electric blue trail down.

Chloe hooked her thumbs around Max's jeans and began to tug them playfully, not making an effort to lower them down - her gaze shot up and she was met with a scowling brunette, the girl slightly frustrated that Chloe was teasing so much. The punk continued her grin and moved up a bit, starting to kiss her girlfriend's abdomen - running her tongue along the rim of her belly button as the hipster girl whimpered at the sensation. Her hands had finally begun to move the jeans down in earnest, starting to slowly slide them down along the pale - slightly freckled - legs. Max felt the cold draft of air hit her bare skin but she ignored it, the feeling was quickly replaced with more pleasure as her girlfriend once again ran her tongue along the rim of her belly button - her abdomen was almost on fire at this point by the feeling that she'd been keeping in for so long due to her girlfriends teasing, all of it pooling to its absolute limits. The brunette felt two thumbs hook under the hem of her panties and-...

She gasped.

She moaned.

" _Fuuuuuuuuck...~"_

The punk had ran her tongue along the full length of Max's panties, the now clearly defined slit completely wet from the interaction. The brunette twitched as the pure ecstasy shot through her, the sensation overtaking everything in her body as she hadn't ever felt anything like this before. Chloe grinned wide and repeated the action, softer this time, eliciting yet another long, guttural, moan from Max. The punk could taste her girlfriend through the very thin fabric, her taste buds longing for more as the two licks had barely been enough to satiate Chloe's lustful hunger. Once again the older girl saw her chance to assert her dominance, to ensure the girl learned that this was her playground - no questions asked. Her hands started to lower the brunette's panties, the hipster girl quickly shooting her glance down through half-lidded eyes, her body wanting more as she waited for her girlfriend to dive back in.

"Maaax…" Chloe began softly as the panties came off completely, the girl discarding them quickly. The brunette did her best to keep focus - it was hard in her current state. Chloe hooked her arms underneath both the girls legs and pulled her in closer, the brunette squirming as she hadn't expected it - her eyes still doing their best to keep themselves on her girlfriend. Chloe raised one of Max's legs slowly and began to kiss her inner thigh with her tender lips, her eyes locked with Max's through her peripheral vision - the grin constantly present with each kiss as she heard Max begin her moans again.

"Chloeee..- d-don't t-teasee.." Max spoke through her moaning, her huffing and puffing as she found it hard to breathe - the air had become clammy as her body glistened with a very thin layer of sweat. Chloe bit into Max's thigh playfully and growled, the brunette responding with yet another moan as her vision blurred slightly. "Chlo..~"

"Say it..-" Chloe spoke against her hipsters thigh, holding her stare towards the brunette. Max recovered her vision, her eyes quickly gazing back down at the blurry electric blue, the pale face just underneath. The brunette had begun to understand - this was Chloe's playground - she was her mistress.

"Please, f-fuck me." Max spoke as best as she could, her words being like honey to the punk - she resumed her kisses and began to continue down her thigh towards her pulsating sex. "Awh..~"

The cabin was completely quiet apart from the moans of pleasure echoing around, the sound of the bed quietly creaking with each sudden jerk and movement from the brunette lying on the velvet covers. Chloe lifted herself up slowly and once again brushed her entire topless self over Max - both of them moaning at the simple contact. Yet again the brunette felt cheated, the punk forcing her into submitting before being teased. The punk rested on her elbow, her other hand lingering just above Max's pubic mound, her fingers stroking softly through the short, bristly hair. Max opened her eyes and bit her lip, her deep blue eyes meeting the azure blue - the ocean of feelings and emotions being transferred in between the two of them quietly.

"H-Hey." Chloe spoke quietly and moved her face even closer, her lips brushing against Max's as the two of them exchanged soft kisses throughout their longing gaze. Chloe felt nervous, even if she didn't show it through her previous assertiveness - this was Max's first time, her first time with the love of her life. She wanted it to be special - she didn't want to hurt the girl that she'd be waking up next to for the next 60 odd years. "T-Tell me if you want me to s-stop, okay?"

"O-Okay.." Max replied quietly and smiled, her head jerking a few millimetres up as she exchanged another flurry of soft kisses with the punk. One of her hands drifted up from the covers and rested on Chloe's cheek tenderly, the bluenette leaning into the touch as her eyes closed. "T-Thank you."

The taller girl smiled her best and returned the kisses, her forehead coming to a rest against Max's - she wanted to begin slow with the girl, stay close to her in case something went wrong. Her hand drifted through the bristly hair and stopped just short of Max's sex, her fingers lightly pressing into the top as the brunette let out a loud moan and felt her eyes roll back on their own. Chloe's hand began its slow, agonising descent over Max's clit and further - her fingers running over the slit as the brunette whimpered at the contact. This was a whole other league of pleasure, another euphoria filled world - _Cloud Nine_. Max was a teenager, she had experimented with her body for years - yet, somebody doing it for you, pleasuring you in such simple ways, especially somebody that you loved? That was _different_.

"Mmf..- Chloee.." Max moaned out her name and felt the lips clash into hers, the moan dragging on whilst it was muffled mid-kiss. The brunette did her best to continue the kiss, she did her best to attempt and keep the rhythm but the pleasure was completely taking her over and making her mind numb. Chloe slipped her hand even further and began to rub circles with her thumb over Max's clit, the fingers stroking along the edge of her slit as she kept kissing her girlfriend - her constant pleasure-filled sounds being muffled as they erupted into the punk's mouth instead. The brunette kept twitching and jolting with each stroke along her sex, with each sensual rub against her sensitive nub - she felt the warmth in her abdomen that had been there for oh-so-long begin to spill over. "Please..- f-fuck meee..~"

Chloe grinned against her girlfriend's lips as she heard the words - Max had submitted to her domain. With a moment of hesitation the punk slipped her middle finger inside Max and thrust forward, the brunette trembling instantly as her eyes shot open - her hands gripping onto the velvet bedding she was lying on.

" _Oooooohh~..."_

Max's moan was filled with the highest form of rapture, her throat holding the sound for so long that she had almost begun to squeak at the sensation of her girlfriend inside her. Her eyes rolled behind her eyelids as the electric shock sent through her forced her body to jolt in delight. Chloe moved her head away and allowed the brunette to moan as loud as she could - she felt her own wetness engulf her sex as she heard the sound, the frantic panting and follow up moans filled with so much lust and passion for Chloe. The taller girl moved in for a kiss and slipped her tongue inside sloppily, finding Max's almost completely limp as the brunette struggled to fight back against her mistress - her Chloe.

Her finger began to slowly, rhythmically pump in and out of the brunette, her stifled moans sounding out quietly in Chloe's mouth - the younger girl beginning to slowly buck her hips against her girlfriend's finger, her sex longing for more. The girl took it up a notch and slipped her second digit inside as she received a response in return, the brunette letting out another guttural moan of pleasure.

" _Fuuuuuuuuuuck…!~"_

Max almost howled out the word as her spine arched backwards, her lips disconnecting from the punks - her eyes once again rolling back beneath her eyelids - she could almost feel the strain from holding them there for so long. Chloe took the opportunity and lowered her head, beginning to lick her girlfriend's nipples again, the breasts clearly in her face due to Max's arched back. Max moaned once again as the extra pleasure piled on top of the already pulsating, almost painful, warmth in her abdomen. She had begun to now move her hips quicker against the two fingers inside her, the curled digits working inside to find the brunette's g-spot. They did.

" _Mmmf… Awh… Mm..- Chlo… I'm…- Mmfw.. g-gon-nna... Mmm…~"_

Max tried to pant out a coherent sentence between her heavy breathing, her thrusting, between the bursts of pleasure but she simply couldn't - she was constantly being interrupted by the bluenette thrusting into her faster and faster. Her abdomen was absolutely exploding now, her hips beginning to buck wildly and her body trembled as her sex pulsed around the fingers inside her. She felt the sudden explosion of ecstasy, the wave of colours over her closed eyelids and a miasma of lust shooting through her entire being. She felt as the warmth travelled through her sex, around the fingers continually pumping into her - keeping the orgasm going, forcing the brunette to ride it out - leaking out slowly from her opening. She arched her spine backwards as much as it would go, letting out the loudest moan yet as it echoed around the entire cabin - probably scaring any wild animals in the vicinity at its pure ferocity, the pleasure of the brunette reverberating through it.

Chloe felt the warmth around her fingers as she started to slow down the pumping, seeing and hearing the brunette next to her orgasm. She saw as the girl arched her back, bit her lip after her moan and slowly slumped down onto the velvet sheets - her body completely lifeless except for her chest rising slowly. The punk slowly pulled her fingers out of the brunette after a few last pumps, seeing the girl shudder and let out a quiet half-whimper half-moan as she ran her hand back over the slit and up her body. Her hand snaked its way up the brunettes neck as Chloe kept her forehead against Max's, slipping her wet fingers into the brunette's mouth as the girl moaned softly - beginning to lick and suck on the two digits that were just inside herself. The punk was completely turned on as she felt the tongue slipping between her fingers, felt the girl sucking on them and relishing the taste of herself.

"D-Damn Max, you were _horny_..- f-fuck." Chloe spoke quietly as she saw the girl sucking on her fingers. Her own breathing returned to normal, her fingers slipping out of Max's mouth and resting on her soft neck after a few moments.. The brunette slowly opened her eyes and smiled, her orgasm high fading slowly as she felt herself soaring far above everything else right now - she was on top of the world. She craned her neck forward and began a sloppy, tongue-twisting kiss with Chloe that lasted for seconds - her head dropping back down afterwards.

"T-Thank you…-" Max spoke softly and brushed her lips against Chloe's again, the punk responding with a large, face-splitting grin - the glint of mischief mixed with the still present lust in her eyes. "W-What…?"

"I'm not done with you yet..-" Chloe bit Max's lip softly and tugged at it, teasing the girl as Max's eyes widened a bit. The brunette very quickly felt all the emotions returning, her girlfriends gaze forcing the beast out of its cage once again. The punks hand began to snake down from her neck once again and brushed over both nipples, Max whimpering almost immediately at the contact. "Oooh-... so sensitive…-"

The electric blue nest began its trail down again, resting just above Max's bust. She moaned loudly as she felt the lips once again engulf her still perky nipples, the teeth biting them slowly as they playfully pulled the breasts with each motion - Max raised her head and watched her girlfriend move in again, her hands gripping the sheets tight as she prepared herself for yet another pleasure-filled session with Chloe. She bit her lip hard and let out another, slightly stifled, moan as the bluenette's fingers drifted over her slit slowly.

"F-Fuck, you're still wet…-" Chloe's muffled voice came out from underneath Max - the brunette opened her eyes again and watched as her girlfriend began to trail her tongue down her body again. The hot sensation was far more prevalent this time, her skin having cooled off after her first orgasm - it sent a tingling shiver all along her skin as she felt goosebumps return to her arms.

"Chloee..~" Max moaned out the name again as she felt fingers slip over her opening for the second time - her body jerked and twitched as she felt them make contact with the now highly sensitive nub at the top of her sex. "H-Holy..-"

She gasped again.

" _-..Shhiit..~"_

Chloe moved her face into Max's slit and ran her tongue along the entire length, the brunette shuddering and twitching at the sensation. The punk instantly became aroused again, her girlfriend's taste fresh on her tongue and lips as she swirled it around her mouth for a second. Without giving Max a moment of respite she moved in again, her tongue snaking its way past the opening this time and darting inside.

" _Fuu-uu-u-uuuuck…~"_

Max's ear-splitting moan was once again filled with unadulterated pleasure, the sound reverberating of the pine walls and ending in an echo - she curled her toes as her legs jerked upwards. Chloe quickly grabbed them both and brought them back down onto her shoulders, the two limbs lightly wrapping around the punk. The same warmth had returned to the brunette, this time stronger than the last as it had _almost_ become painful, the pooling feeling scalding her insides with _pleasure_ , not pain. The hipster girl gripped the velvet covers harder and turned her head to the side, biting into the very same crimson sea that surrounded her.

The punk didn't relent at all, instead she had increased her tongue flicking - occasionally moving out to suck and nibble on Max's clit, the brunette releasing a constant stream of moans that acted as fuel for the punk and guided her further and further on. Chloe felt her girlfriend's legs bucking again, felt her thrusting hard against her tongue in rhythm as she was in a sex-induced high, refusing to give up the ardour that her girlfriend had oh-so-provided.

" _F-Fuck, fuck, fuuck, fuuuuuuck..~"_

The brunette did her best to stay silent and keep her sounds limited to moans, she had wanted to scream out an entire array of profanities and words that'd describe the immeasurable amount ecstasy coursing through her veins and numbing her brain - she settled on a simple ' _fuck'_ to convey everything. She felt the warmth in her abdomen begin to spill over again, her body beginning to jerk as she felt it coming again - her currently limited mind focusing itself on the movement of her girlfriends tongue inside her, the moist member exploring her insides.

" _Chloee-e-eee.e-...e.."_

Chloe felt the walls around her tongue beginning to tighten, preparing for yet another orgasm - she smiled against her girlfriend and brought up one hand just below her chin, slipping her index finger inside. She swirled her tongue around in random patterns, her finger pumping in and out in rhythm as the girls hips began to buck in earnest now, her body trembling and skin shivering at the onset of another release.

Max felt the returning plethora of pleasure, the pure rapture as she reached the peak of her orgasm. Her gut tugged as she released another torrent of warmth, her body jerking violently as her grip loosened on the velvet covers. Chloe kept working at it as her tongue darted in and out, accompanied by her finger - both of them continuing whilst the brunette rode out her orgasm for longer. The warm liquid quickly enveloped Chloe's finger and tongue, the torrent being lapped up almost immediately by the punk as she slipped her finger out. Her tongue went to work as it softly went over and over the slit, licking up as much of Max's honey as it could find - Chloe was completely lost in her own sex high.

The brunette went limp again and began to breathe slowly, her brain registering the sensation of the tongue licking away at her sex - eventually the feeling faded away. Her eyes were closed as her pupils darted around underneath and explored each individual colour that was still present, the complete kaleidoscope that had exploded underneath providing a distraction for her. She felt two breasts brush up against hers as she didn't even flinch - her body has had enough.

"N-Now I'm done…" Chloe spoke quietly and ran her tongue along the length of Max's neck, leaving a soft kiss right at the end.

The two of them lay still for the next few minutes, both of them breathing slowly - allowing both of their bodies to return to a somewhat normal state. Chloe lifted up her head and spotted that she was still wearing her jeans - she smiled and shuffled up on the bed, laying her head in the crook of the brunette's neck and nuzzling her face into the soft skin. Their bodies had become flush of their lust, their love making session having run its course, both the girls in a state of almost eternal bliss.

"M-Max..?" Chloe spoke softly after a few moments, noticing that the girl hadn't said anything since her second orgasm. The brunette opened her eyes and didn't bother moving them, resting their stare on the ceiling high above.

"Y-Yeah…?" Max's voice sounded meek, her throat feeling a bit dry after the amount of moans it had to suffer through. Chloe slowly wrapped her arms around the girl and gave her a squeeze, a soft kiss being left on her neck again.

"How was it...?" Chloe spoke and felt a bit anxious, unsure whether or not she had pushed her limits with the girl. Max felt a smile work up on her face, her own arms wrapping around the girl resting in the crook of her neck.

"A-Amazing." Max simply stated and kept her eyes focused on the pine ceiling.

"I'm glad t-that I was your first." Chloe confessed quietly and kept her eyes closed. She felt the petite hands wrapped around her give her an appreciative squeeze.

"My first and _only._ " Max corrected her and heard the muffled giggle, the hot discharge of air on her neck.

"I love you." Chloe left a tender kiss on the brunette's neck, holding her lips there for a few seconds before moving them away.

"Mm - I love you." Max replied and moved her head down a bit, nuzzling her face into Chloe's electric blue hair.

The girls felt themselves quickly fall into sleep, their fatigue from everything they've just experienced getting the better of them. The quiet strumming of a guitar came from the kitchen - Max's phone still playing music she had set hours ago after their return from the lake, the sound being drowned out over the past hour by the heavy passion that had been present.

**_** ...And you said_ **   
**_"This is the first day of my life_ **   
**_I'm glad I didn't die before I met you_ **   
**_But now I don't care, I could go anywhere with you_ **   
**_And I'd probably be happy"... **_ **

 


	10. The Reaper

The sun began to shine through the thick canopy overhead, reflecting its morning rays on the quiet stream that snaked its way between the pines - the slow swaying of the trunks providing ambient noise for the surrounding forest. Birds began to sing their songs, joyfully tweeting as they started their own morning routine - woodpeckers making themselves known as they tapped away at the tallest peaks within the dense woods. A small cabin sat quietly between it all, a rusty Ford F150 parked just a few feet away, a slightly smouldering make-do fire pit hissing softly with its last embers.

Chloe's eyes began to flutter open as she finally stirred from her sleep, taking a few moments to run her hand lazily over her eyes to help herself. She began to see the rays of lights peeking through the burgundy curtains over the cabin windows, hearing the morning sounds of the forest outside. Slowly she shifted her gaze down she saw herself topless, another bare body pressing against hers as their legs were tangled together - two petite arms wrapped around her shoulders as they rested on her skin lazily. Chloe looked up and smiled as she noticed her brunette girlfriend asleep peacefully, the light snoring being a welcome break from the usual whimpering and crying that had plagued the time-travelling hipster for the past week.

She slowly shifted in her place so that'd she'd be level with the sleeping beauty, her eyes resting on the slightly open lips as she bit down on her own. Chloe wrapped her hands around Max's neck and slowly moved in for a kiss, lingering over the tender lips for a few seconds as she felt the hands around her shoulders catch a grip and squeeze softly - the brunette had stirred from her sleep. The punk smiled and moved away from the kiss, her gaze now resting on the awakened girl watching her through half-lidded eyes - a faint smile now present on her own face.

"Mm. Hi." Max's words slurred as she closed her eyes and lazily pulled herself below her girlfriend, her face nuzzling into the crook of Chloe's neck. She felt the punks hands drift down from her neck and wrap around her waist instead, the fingers slowly tracing random shapes on her skin as they caressed the girl.

"Heyy." Chloe spoke softly and placed a kiss on the chestnut bedhead just below her chin. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm. Real good." Max opened her eyes slowly as a rogue ray of light from the window blinded her eyes, prompting her to quickly close them again and burrow further into the punk's neck - Chloe giggled at Max's reaction.

The two girls lay there quietly for a few minutes, the light in between the curtains now shining on them in earnest - their naked bodies completely exposed as neither had bothered to cover themselves in a blanket after their lovemaking session. Chloe ran one hand up Max's naked body as she looked over the girl, taking the image of her lover lying in her arms, engraving it all in her mind. Max opened her eyes again and shifted a few inches away, her gaze starting to scan around the cabin. Her eyes lowered themselves down towards her own naked body and then towards Chloe's semi-naked one. She gasped and quickly grabbed as much of the velvet blanket as she could and slipped it over the two girls - the bluenette quietly giggled in response.

"Y'know we're alone, right?" Chloe teased as her hand finally rested on the top of Max's arm, her fingers beginning to stroke the soft skin under the blanket. Max nodded and felt a rosy blush sneak its way onto her cheeks - she closed her eyes again in an attempt to go back to sleep.

"Mm…- Can we spend the whole morning like this? I don't want to move…-" Max spoke quietly as she felt she sensations of her girlfriend playing with her skin, the soothing motions sending shivers down her skin. Chloe giggled and craned her neck forward slightly, giving Max a light kiss on the forehead - the brunette smiled in return.

"We have time." Chloe's lips lingered over the skin as she closed her own eyes and let out a content sign. Max's petite hands began their own dance on the punk's skin, her fingers running up and down the small of her back as they relaxed the older girl.

"Last night was..- a-amazeballs." Max's muffled voice came from underneath Chloe's head, the brunette's heart fluttering as she remembered the events. She smiled against her girlfriend's skin and bit her lip, happy and more confident with herself as her introverted persona shrank in its place - never had she thought she'd lose her virginity to a girl, nevermind her once best-friend-turned-girlfriend. Chloe chuckled quietly at the brunette's use of words, her lips leaving another kiss on her forehead.

"Glad you enjoyed." Chloe moved away a bit and felt her own heart batter against her chest - a feeling of slight nervousness, almost guilt, rose up in her. "I-... I didn't h-hurt you, did I?"

"W-What? No! Chloe-..." Max moved out of her nest under Chloe's head and met her eyes halfway. She lowered her own head and brushed her lips against Chloe's as the girl replied with her own soft kiss - Max hoped to reassure the older girl somewhat. "It was _amazing_. I'm cereal."

Chloe lowered her hands back down to Max's hips, tightening their grip as she pulled her in. Max squirmed playfully as the two girls rolled over on the sheets, the velvet covers completely enveloping them as they goofed around. A few moments of struggling and giggling passed as eventually Max ended up straddling the bluenette below her, the older girl slowly drifting her hands just below the brunette's breasts, resting them underneath - her azure blue orbs looking straight up at her deep blue eyes. Max bit her lip and lowered herself down ever so slowly, placing her lips against Chloe's and giving her a light kiss. The punk responded in kind with a ferocity as she forced her tongue inside Max's mouth, moving her hands past her breasts and chest onto the brunette's cheeks and pulling her further in. Max obliged.

"I. Love. You." Chloe whispered between each kiss as she pecked at Max's lips. The brunette smiled wide and giggled, returning each kiss twice fold.

"Mm." Max hummed quietly and left a kiss on Chloe's nose. " _I._ " Her lips hovered over to her forehead and left another kiss there. " _Love._ " Her lips once again travelled down and rested softly on Chloe's, brushing up against them tenderly. " _You._ "

The punk smiled and once again slipped her tongue into Max's mouth, the two of them resuming their passionate kiss. The burgundy coloured velvet blanket was draped over the two of them as they went on with their shenanigans, occasionally slipping off Max's back as the girl gasped in surprise - each time scrambling to bring up the fabric over her again. Chloe simply laughed at Max's inability to stay uncovered even in the privacy of their own cabin. Dozens of minutes passed as the two girls went on professing their love in their own, quirky ways. Eventually they calmed down, Max ended up lying beside Chloe as her face was nuzzled into the tall punk's neck - the sound of birds outside relaxing the two of them.

Max took in a deep breath whilst resting under Chloe - the scent of her lover lingering in her lungs as it was clearly distinguishable - cigarettes, beer and men's deodorant. She smiled absentmindedly as her mind once again went over yesterday's events - their promises and decisions, their whispers and the loud, passionate moans. Her cheeks instantly flared up as she remembered the things she said, the things she moaned out and the volume levels at which some of those things came.

"Why are you blushing…?" Chloe asked quietly as she saw the girl underneath turn beet red. She groaned quietly and burrowed further underneath the punk. "Hey, what's up?"

"Chloe-... I was so _loud_ last night.." Max confessed and heard her girlfriend instantly laugh. "It's not funny! I-... I never knew I could be so-.. I d-don't know…?"

"Don't worry about it girlfriend - we're in the middle of the woods after all. Who the hell is going to hear you all the way out here?" Chloe kissed Max's forehead again and squeezed her to reassure the girl. Max kept blushing as her face was still pushed up against Chloe's skin. "Besides - I fucking loved it."

" _Oh my dog."_

"I'm serious!" Chloe laughed again as she spoke, the brunette in her arms doing her best to keep her face hidden. The punk shuffled a bit and brought her lips next to Max's ear, whispering quietly and seeing her girlfriend shudder. "It was fucking _hot_."

" _Chloe!"_

"Alright, alright! I'll lay off." Chloe finally conceded and kissed Max's temple, squeezing the girl in her arms. The brunette let out another muffled groan and felt the embarrassment flush over her - she had absolutely no idea what got into her to say half the things she did last night. Her heart pounded in her chest as she was sure that Chloe could feel it against her body at this point.

"D-Dog… It's so embarrassing." Max whispered, her voice barely heard by the punk. Chloe giggled again and rested her eyes on the ceiling above them. "Y-You didn't exactly help!"

"O-Oh. Shit. Sorry." Chloe was quickly snapped out of her giggle - what Max said was true. The punk _did_ insist that Max say a lot of dirty, _dirty things_ \- she thought it was all in good spirit and fun, spice up their first time a bit to suit _both_ their tastes. Perhaps she shouldn't have? "F-Fuck. I'm sorry Max, I didn't…"

"It's okay, Chlo." Max quickly moved into recovery mode, knowing that her tone of voice and her words struck a chord in Chloe's soft side. She lifted her head up and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek, holding her lips there for a few seconds. "I really didn't mind it. Uhm-.. I k-kinda liked it…?"

"...really?" Chloe spoke up after hearing Max's words. The brunette quickly groaned and hid her blushing face back in the nest she had created underneath Chloe's head. The punk laughed again and instantly felt the worry and anxiousness flush from her mind - the brunette sincerely enjoyed the little bit of dirty talk they did. "You're _such_ a horndog - this quirky hipster crap is just a cover, isn't it?"

"M-Maybe…?" Max smiled and giggled to herself as Chloe joined her, the punks arms around her pulled her closer in and held on.

"You're my little minx and I love you." Chloe whispered into Max's ear and bit down on the earlobe softly, the brunette smiling wide as she enjoyed the sensation - a shiver was sent all across her body as the simple gesture nearly melted the girl.

"Uhm..- Chloe..?" Max asked quietly as her own two hands once again began to draw random shapes on the punk's back. "Why-... Last night - d-did you want me t-to…?"

"Max, last night was about _you_." Chloe understood Max's question instantly and moved in to stop her from embarrassing herself. The bluenette shifted her body down a little bit and placed her forehead against the brunette's, the two girls staring at each other with smiles on their faces - their eyes in contact as they kept looking on. "It was your first time, m'kay? Besides - it felt f-... special to me, being your first."

"O-Oh." Max quietly whispered and pecked Chloe on the lips, the punk smiling back. "I j-just… I wish I was your first too."

Chloe went quiet and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as the words brought up memories of her rebellious teenage years. Her heart was filled with regret and slight guilt - her phases brought up to bear as she remembered her first time. How she had now wished that she'd never struck a 'bad boy' phase. Max saw her girlfriend obviously distracted and moved in to leave a kiss on her cheek again, the bluenette absentmindedly responding with a weak smile. The brunette saw the trace of tears snake their way out of the corner of the punk's eyes - sorrow, regret-filled tears.

"Chlo.. Don't cry." Max squeezed the girl again and saw her open her eyes - the azure blue orbs glistening in the soft light shining through the window. "Hey, it's o-okay.."

"M-Max…- I'm such a f-fuckup." Chloe whispered and let out a half-sob, her chest hitching slightly as she tried to stop it halfway. Max quickly shook her head and moved her face closer, her nose giving soft eskimo kisses to the crying punk.

"Heyy, don't say that." Max felt her own heart tugged at the sight of her always strong and bullheaded girlfriend crying - the girl that had constantly stayed strong for Max, kept everything suppressed so that the brunette could be happy and forget all about Arcadia. "I love you - okay? I d-don't care if I wasn't your first..-"

The punk nodded through her cries and continued quietly - she pulled her girlfriend closer, wanting to feel her safe presence and body closer to hers. Once again she felt her barrier quietly getting whittled away as she had managed to let some of it spill over. Max ran her hand all over Chloe's back to soothe the girl, her fingers tracing patterns as her lips began to kiss away the tears on her cheeks. She continued to quietly flush her sorrows through the tears, the touch of the brunette's lips against each one being a constant reminder that she was here for her.

"Baby..- what time do we h-have to checkout…?" Max asked quietly and kept her eyes trained on her girlfriend, the punk sniffled quietly and opened her eyes - she ran her hand under her nose and did her best to wipe away the stray tears.

"I-I think a-around 3pm..?" Chloe replied with a tone of curiosity in her voice, the sound being slightly meek as she still kept going over her regrets and stupid decisions of the past 5 years. "Why..?"

"Lets catch some more winks, o-okay? I don't want us to be t-tired on the road." Max left a kiss on Chloe's forehead and moved away with a smile - her forehead once again making contact with the punk's. Chloe nodded slowly and shuffled her body, her face nuzzling back into the crook of Max's neck - her hands were draped over her sides as they held onto the girl.

"I'm s-sorry." Chloe quietly whispered and felt a hand begin to run its fingers through her electric blue hair, pulling her head closer to the brunette.

"Shh, it's okay - don't be. Let's just sleep." Max cooed and felt the head against her skin nod timidly.

The two of them once again fell asleep, their bodies still slightly tired and aching from last night - the morning emotions running high as it took a toll on both their fragile psyches.

* * *

"Chloe, get back here!" Max called out as she held her polaroid camera, watching the punk stop in her tracks.

"Oh. Shit. Right." Chloe instantly understood and strolled back over to the brunette, pocketing the keys to the now locked cabin. Her arms draped over the smaller girl as she pulled her closer, Max kept a wide smile on her face.

"I want to remember this place. We had our first time here-... It's special." Max spoke quietly, almost embarrassed, whilst Chloe snickered. "Hey!"

"I didn't say anything." Chloe defended herself and stood quietly in her spot, watching as Max worked around with the camera and began holding it at different angles - trying to find the best one. Chloe moved her lips to Max's ear and whispered. "I think you're cute when you do that, y'know that?"

Max felt the wave of an almost euphoria-like emotion sweep over her, Chloe's words echoing through her head as she froze for a second. Her heart was embraced by a warm mix of everything - her cheeks flaring up red within seconds. Chloe laughed loudly and moved away for a second, breaking the moment instantly. Max rolled her eyes and adjusted the camera again.

"Thanks for ruining the moment, asshole." The brunette spoke as she found her angle, holding it there for a few moments to ensure she remembered. Soft lips quickly found their way to her cheek as they were held there for a few seconds, an apology from the punk.

"Sorry. I love you though - you're a little cutie when you play around with that camera. You totally tune out, don't know if you noticed." Chloe watched her hipster girlfriend light up and smile, looking up at her. The punks hands found their way to Max's hips now, holding the girl firmly. She bit her lip to stop herself from going further. "Now take the damn picture already before I do something we'll both _not_ regret."

Max took the moment and stood on her tiptoes, moving her head into a kiss with Chloe as she pressed the button.

_*snap*_

_*whirrr*_

Chloe let go of Max and shoved her hand to the camera before the brunette, taking the photo that snaked its way out as she scanned over it with her eyes. Max looked as her expression changed from happiness to sadness and then to a large, warming and loving smile. She turned the polaroid around and showed it to the brunette. Max felt her hands move up in the small of Chloe's back as she stared at their picture, her own smile forming on her face.

Max was kissing her girlfriend with a wide smile tugging at the sides of her mouth - their eyes locked in an embrace of their own, spilling their emotions to each other. Their eyes glimmered as stray rays of light hit them and reflected just a few of the emotions they were sharing - their backdrop was the dark, rustic looking cabin that they had spent their past two nights in, the colours painting a stark contrast from the green, brown and orange scenery of the fall forest that surrounded it all.

"Beautiful." Max spoke and grabbed the polaroid, putting her camera back in her bag. Chloe giggled and moved away from the brunette, starting to walk slowly towards her Ford F150 beside Max.

"Just like you." Chloe shot a glance at Max and saw her roll her eyes at the cheesy comment, eliciting another giggle from the punk.

The rumble of the engine broke up the atmosphere of the forest, a few animals from around the cabin turning heads towards the rusty truck. Chloe eased her foot onto the pedal and started to tug the steering wheel, driving the vehicle away from the cabin and back down the dirt road to the town. Max had already assumed her position, her camera bag in the leg space below as Chloe's aviators hung loosely on her nose. The punk looked at the girl and smiled, lightly hitting the girl on the thigh and getting her to turn her head.

"I expect full compensation for those glasses, girl." Chloe winked and saw the brunette get flustered for a second before recovering. Max let out a sultry smirk and dropped her legs from the dash, starting a slow crawl towards Chloe as she slowed the truck down - predicting what was going to happen. Max rested her face a few inches away from Chloe's, her eyes obstructed by the jet black aviators as they stared at each other for a moment. The bluenette began to move in for a kiss but instantly felt her heart drop when Max cruelly moved away - assuming her position again as she cackled. "Come on, don't leave me hanging…"

"These glasses are my property now. You're going to have to take them back from me if ya want 'em again." Max lowered the aviators and winked, her smirk still holding.

"God, you're such a cocktease. One of these days I'll fall for your bait, y'know? We'll see who will have the last laugh then." Chloe pressed the pedal again and kicked the truck into gear, the rusty bucket sputtering forward down the dirt road again. Max giggled quietly and looked away, head resting against the glass of her window - the sun warmly shining its rays of light onto her face.

As the old Ford pulled out of the dirt road back onto the asphalt, Chloe saw a few vehicles on the opposite side as they were parked up - obviously other tourists or whatever here for the forest too. The truck continued down the relatively abandoned road towards the main cabin that was located a few kilometres from their own cabin - directly opposite the town they were technically staying in. Her eyes rested to her left as she saw an upcoming group of people near the big lodge - a woman and a man, flanked by two children who she assumed were their own, She felt wild thoughts begin to drift through her head as she looked at the obviously happy family.

"Chlo?" Max's voice broke the punk out of her thoughts. Chloe looked out in front and realised that they were already parked up in front of the building they needed to be at - her body automatically taking them there whilst she was lost in her thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking. Gonna drop these off." Chloe took the cabin keys out of her pocket and opened her door, stopping for a second. She shifted in her seat and crawled over to Max, kissing the girl on the lips and slipping in some tongue for good measure - the brunette smiled as she accepted it gladly. "Love you. Be right back."

Max's heart fluttered at the gesture they just shared, the goodbye kiss for something so simple as dropping off some keys. She ran her hands over her lips and savoured the taste, the lingering scent of Chloe around her, her mouth forming an even wider smile. She absolutely loved this - this was what being in love meant. She sat quietly and gazed at the cabin, waiting for her lover to return to the truck. Her hand moved to her camera bag resting in her leg space, reaching inside to grab the latest polaroid and a sharpie that she bought at a gas station a few days ago. Max smiled as her gaze rested on the two girls in the picture, the loving kiss and gaze they shared against the backdrop of the cabin they spent their night in. The sharpie was shortly uncapped, the tip resting against the white strip below the picture as Max annotated it.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Chloe caused Max to jump in her seat, her voice betraying a bit of her southern heritage, the punk standing outside her door as she peered through the open window. Her gaze rested on the polaroid as she smiled, leaning forward and sticking her head through the open space - inches away from Max. "What a pair of cuties."

"Correction - _cutie_." Max teased a bit and saw as the punk kept her smile, obviously working around the brunette immediately.

"Awh, don't pull yourself down so much - you're okay looking too." Chloe giggled as she saw how Max's face turned into a scowl, her covered eyes narrowed as they pierced the azure-blue ones from underneath the jet-black of the aviators. "Good thing I'm immune to that look - ya could kill someone ya devil."

"Hmph. Get your butt in here and let's go." Max demanded and held up her face in a pout, her face still resting inches away from Chloe's. The punk moved in and stole a quick kiss on the brunette's nose, jumping back and jogging around the side of the truck. Her door was slammed shut almost immediately, the older girl now sitting in her seat quietly as she looked at the large cabin in front of them.

"Ready for Idaho?" Chloe looked at Max, the brunette no longer holding her scowl or pout. She nodded and looked back out of her window - her elbow sticking out and her hand resting on the door outside.

"Are we going straight there or…?" Max asked inquisitively, her eyes focused on the roadside as the truck once again rumbled to life. Chloe turned the radio on and shook her head, tugging the wheel as she pulled out of the small parking lot they were in. She switched gears and pressed on the pedal a bit too hard, the truck sputtering loudly as the engine whined at the sudden change of speed.

"I was thinking we could hit a place or two before - Spokane sound cool? I mean, I could get us there in less than a day if you _really_ want to be in Idaho.." Chloe looked over at Max as she spoke, the brunette shaking her head in response.

"No..- let's take our time, okay? I want this to last." Max spoke and watched Chloe nod, the punk's gaze returned to the road as the treetops around them began to whittle away.

"Hey, check the glovebox? I think I have a few road trip mix CD's in there." Chloe spoke up and gestured to the glove box in front of Max. The brunette quickly scrambled forward and opened it, checking through the various loose CD's gathered up in a small pile.

"Dog, you have so _many._ Have you been planning this road trip for ages?" Max shot a curious glance at Chloe and saw her nod, the punk still keeping her own gaze on the road. Max quickly resumed looking through the CD's.

"Find anything?" Chloe asked after a few moments and looked at her girlfriend still sorting through the CD's.

"Hey, you aren't exactly one for ordering things are you? Road Trip Mix V1 through 8, yet 3, 4 and 5 are missing." Max held out the array of CD's like cards, pointing them towards Chloe. The punk chuckled quietly and shrugged, pressing the pedal slightly as she sped up the truck.

"Some things go missing with time, I guess."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Max replied and finally chose a random CD - Road Trip Mix V6. She slammed the glove box shut again and slipped the CD into the radio, fumbling around with it for a second whilst she tried to get the thing to play the mix. She smiled as first song began to play quietly through the speakers - Max recognised it and turned up the volume.

**_** ...All our times have come_ **   
**_Here but now they're gone_ **   
**_Seasons don't fear the reaper_ **   
**_Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are... **_ **

"Well shit, would you look at that." Chloe smiled and tapped away at her wheel to the beat of the song.

**_** ...Come on baby, don't fear the reaper_ **   
**_Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper_ **   
**_We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper_ **   
**_Baby I'm your man... **_ **

"Blue Oyster Cult, Chlo?" Max asked with a grin on her face - Chloe feigned shock and brought a hand to her chest as she looked back.

"Are you trying to insult me, Caulfield? This is an _ESSENTIAL_ road trip song." Chloe gazed back at the road and playfully hit Max with her hand, the girl giggling in return. "Come on, turn it up."

"Aye, aye Cap'n." Max moved in her seat and turned up the volume dial as far as it would go - the music began to blast out the slightly meagre speakers, yet it was enough to echo the song out of the truck and onto the relatively quiet road they were on.

**_** ...Valentine is done_ **   
**_Here but now they're gone_ **   
**_Romeo and Juliet_ **   
**_Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet_ **   
**_40,000 men and women everyday, Like Romeo and Juliet_ **   
**_40,000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness_ **   
**_Another 40,000 coming everyday, We can be like they are... **_ **

"Hey, ready for the chorus girlfriend?" Chloe shot a glance at Max and saw the brunette nod. They sat silently as the song continued with it's verse, the beat of the drums and guitars intertwined as they were joined by the cowbell. Both the girls worked themselves up as the chorus once again approached.

"Come on baby, don't fear the reaper!" Max sang out in tune with the song as lyrics kicked in, laughing afterwards as she watched the punk.

"Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper!" Chloe followed up Max's verse with her own, smiling wide as she switched her gaze between the road and her girlfriend.

"We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper!" Max continued on and moved her body around to the beat of the song as she let herself loose.

"Baby I'm your _woman!_ " Chloe changed up the chorus right at the end and received a loud laugh from Max, the punk joining in quickly as they missed the next verse of the song.

"Dork." Max called out with a smile and relaxed back in her seat, tapping away her fingers to the song. Chloe giggled and looked back on the road, letting the song continue to blast out of the truck as they sped down the road. The last verse of the song finally rung out after a few minutes.

**_** ...Come on baby, and she had no fear_ **   
**_And she ran to him, then they started to fly_ **   
**_They looked backward and said goodbye, she had become like they are_ **   
**_She had taken his hand, she had become like they are_ **   
**_Come on baby, don't fear the reaper... **_ **

The sun started to shine rays of light into Chloe's eyes after a while, prompting the girl to reach up and pull down her sun visor with a quiet squeak - the cracked and ripped leather of the inside was covered in rough doodles and ripped stickers. Max furrowed her eyebrows and noticed the lack of any personal pictures or items - she decided to do something nice for her girlfriend. She reached down towards her camera bag and began to fumble around inside, looking for one particular polaroid picture. After a few moments she giggled and moved her hands out of the bag, the polaroid in her hand as Chloe watched her girlfriend with a curious gaze - her eyes skipping over the silvery photo in her hand. Max crawled over the seats and did her best not to obscure Chloe's vision, shoving the polaroid into a small pocket on the sun visor - secure enough to stay but also to display the picture clearly.

"W-Wow. Thanks..-" Chloe muttered as she looked up at the picture - it was the two of them on the first day of the road trip, the picture they took in the morning after their Mount Rainier visit. Max smiled and moved in for a kiss, her lips lingering over Chloe's as the punk slipped in some tongue to show her appreciation.

"Thought you were missing something." Max chided in and moved back into her seat, assuming position as she once again stuck her elbow out the window - the cold air starting to whip past the moving truck as it cooled down both the girls in the slight heat of the sun. "Ugh, why is it so sunny in October.."

"Global Warming?" Chloe tapped her fingers on the wheel to the beat of the song that had come on. Max nodded absentmindedly and closed her eyes - she felt the warm glow of the sun through the aviators that still rested on her nose.

The two of the girls fell into silence as they listened to music and the sounds of the forest shooting past. The sun kept unforgivably searing down as they had opened both their car windows now to let in as much of the cool air as possible - the sky was completely cloudless which didn't exactly help things. Max shuffled in her place and slumped down a bit, her face burrowing into the side of her leather seat as she did her best to get her head out of the sun. Chloe watched her girlfriend with a smile and snaked her hand over the seat, resting it on her thigh and keeping it there.

Chloe occasionally adjusted their heading as she ensured they kept on Route 11 - the punk figured it'd be the fastest and probably least travelled way to Spokane and wherever else they wanted to go. She saw as small towns, estates and communities shot past them every couple of minutes for the next hour - the forest had begun to slowly relent it's growth and is became sparser and sparser to further east they went. Max had attempted to quietly doze off but kept getting distracted by the radio and the sound of the wind circulating through the open windows - neither of the damn things helping her in one bit. She shifted in her place and decided to sit up, instead wanting to focus herself on the sights passing them.

The old Ford F150 shot past a corner bend and was sprung into a hidden valley that was previously covered by the roadside growth. Max watched in slight awe as she saw large hills and mountains only a few miles away, waterfalls and pines dotting the landscapes as far below a large meadow sprawled right across - a quiet stream flowing its way across the entire thing as it glistened in the sunlight. There was an almost eerie mist hanging over the entire thing, the cold getting evaporated off the tall Douglas Firs that covered it all whilst brunette kept looking around and once again felt the breath get knocked out of her - this trip just kept getting better and better.

"Hey, want to stop?" Chloe asked as she saw the view and her girlfriend. Max nodded quietly and looked back with a wide, beaming smile on her face. The punk squeezed the brunette's thigh and began to ease up on the pedal, the truck quietly started to roll into a roadside inlet as the gravel underneath kicked up. Chloe opened up her door and jumped out, stretching her limbs a bit as she took a whiff of the fresh air - she could smell the firs, the pines and trees mixed up in it all.

"This..- This is so awesome." Max spoke out as she slammed her door shut, approaching the roadside barrier and peering over at the large mountain range they were on the foot of. Chloe giggled and shuffled her way around the truck, kicking up gravel and stones quietly as her own eyes looked over the view.

"Hella awesome." Chloe stood right behind her girlfriend with her hands in her pockets - the punk only wore a new tank top and jeans this time around as it was slightly a bit too sunny for the leather jacket. Max felt the punk's presence and reclined back a bit, her back resting against the older girl as they simply stood there and looked over the entire peaceful valley.

"Chlo-.. What's in Spokane?" Max asked quietly as she kept looking over the view.

"Uhm. I dunno. I don't know if there _is_ anything in Spokane - I just know that it's right on the border with Idaho and in the general direction we're going." Chloe admitted and heard her girlfriend giggle.

"H-Have… have you ever been to a nightclub or a bar…?" Max shuffled in her place as she asked the question - she saw a flock of birds fly out of the woods and glide across the valley.

"Plenty, Maximus. Why? Do you want to go to one…?" Chloe leaned forward a bit and stuck her head over her slightly shorter girlfriend, her eyes looking down at the brunette.

"Y-Yeah. I guess. I mean..- I've never been soo-... Just wondering what it's like." Max heard Chloe fumble around behind her as the punk took her hands out of her pockets and wrapped them around Max, pulling her in closer.

"I'll take you to a club in Spokane, m'kay? There's gotta be some that don't card that well..-" Chloe wiggled her eyebrows and then hunched forward further, resting her head on Max's shoulder and looking ahead. "It'll be a date with my hot, hipster girlfriend."

"Thank you." Max turned her head to the side and kissed Chloe's cheek, the punk responding with a wide grin and a squeeze. The brunette felt a bit confident now that Chloe was with her everywhere - before her social anxiety would always push her down and ensure that she wouldn't go to parties, clubs or nights out with her very few friends in Seattle. Yet she felt secure in the knowledge that wherever she went now her girlfriend would be there to keep her safe, even though she would also more than likely push the brunette into doing things she hadn't even thought about before - it was a fair trade in her mind nonetheless.

"Hey, you ever hear of urban exploration..?" Chloe shuffled forward a bit and shoved her girlfriend closer to the barrier by accident. Max nodded quietly and watched the punk out of her peripheral vision as the older girl moved her head back off her shoulder. She raised her hand and pointed to their left. "Want to go check where those tracks lead?"

"Huh..?" Max looked towards where the punk was pointing and saw the old, overgrown tracks that she hadn't spotted before. "Oh. Uhm. I guess? I don't know where you think they'll lead."

"Trust girlfriend, you can find some real cool shit in the most unexpected of places." Chloe looked over the the valley they were standing in front of and gestured towards it. "Case in point."

"You're right..- I'm kind of curious now, although I still doubt it'll lead anywhere interesting." Max admitted and turned around to face Chloe, the punk still holding onto the brunette with one hand. She looked up and saw her girlfriend looking down with a smile - Max quickly stood on her tiptoes and stole a kiss. "Dork."

"C'mon, let's go." Chloe began to walk in the direction of the rails, Max in tow as she quickened her pace to match the taller girl who still had an arm wrapped around her. The punk stopped after a few seconds and ran her hand under her chin, looking up at the sky and noticing that the sun had already begun to slowly make it's way down. "Y'know, we should probably grab flashlights and warm clothes..-"

"Flashlights? Oh-.. wait, are we going to be out in the woods in the _dark_ …?" Max felt the shudder travel up her spine as she didn't know whether this was a good idea after all. "Chlo-..- I don't know.."

"Hey, I'll be there with you - m'kay? Nothing to be afraid of." Chloe squeezed her girlfriend and led them back towards the truck bed. Max nodded quietly and watched Chloe slip out from their embrace and jump up onto the bed, waltzing her way over to the chest trunk at the back and scrounging around inside.

Max took the opportunity to jump into the truck and grab their warm clothes - a varsity jacket for herself and Chloe's usual worn leather one. She put on her own jacket and adjusted the collar, pulling it up as much as it could go to cover her neck - she kept it open as the sun was still relatively high in the sky so they had so time left in the heat. Chloe finally jumped off the bed after finding two flashlights, turning them on and giving them a few whacks to ensure they worked properly.

"Chlo, wear this." Max approached her girlfriend with the leather jacket in her hand. The punk looked up as her expression changed from a frown to a grin. She moved in closer and gave Max a kiss for being so caring, the simple gesture meaning a lot to the punk.

"Thanks. Alright, I have the flashlights - leggo." Chloe put the jacket on and held her hand out towards Max, her other one shoving the two flashlights into her pocket. The brunette quickly took her hand as they begun their walk towards the rusted rails.

"Here's hoping we don't find wild animals in the woods." Max quietly spoke and heard her girlfriend laugh in response, the hand holding hers giving her a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

"Oh my dog, I told you we weren't going to find anything!" Max exclaimed as the two girls kept walking along the rusty railroad track.

The sun had gone down by now, the last vestiges of its rays still shined over the mountain range nearby - the entire area had been stuck in a dark, slightly amber glow. With the sun gone and their close proximity to mountains, the wind had picked up and begun to sway the trees around them - the eerie creaking had kept Max on her toes as her eyes kept darting around, slightly creeped out by the atmosphere that was set out.

"Hey, my bad." Chloe throw up her hands in defeat, the flashlight in her hand waving its cone of light around the tree's surrounding them. "I thought we could find some cool factory or some shit, guess I was wrong."

"Ugh. Now I'm fricking cold, tired and annoyed." Max shoved her hands into her varsity jacket and shrunk her neck into the collar, trying to keep as much heat as possible. Chloe bit her lip and smacked herself mentally for their little misadventure.

"I got something for the cold at least, c'mere." Chloe held out her hands towards her annoyed girlfriend and saw her scowl at the punk. She began to lower her hands with a sulky expression but Max quickly moved in and allowed the hands to rest around her. The little warmth between the girls was another welcome addition in the cold October evening. Chloe wrapped her own leather jacket around Max whilst still wearing it, the two girls giggling as how goofy it looked and felt.

Chloe kept her flashlight forward as she lit the ground in front of them, occasionally darting it around the sides towards the trees to show Max that nothing was there. The brunette kept quiet and walked slowly with her girlfriend just beside her, her flashlight simply kept on the ground just a few feet ahead - her own cone of light had begun to dim slightly.

"You know, you could've at least given me a working flashlight." Max complained and heard Chloe chuckle.

"Well we still have mine, it ain't that far left until the truck anyway - hour walk at best." Chloe once again brought up her flashlight to the side as she caught something out of the peripheral of her vision. Max continued to walk and failed to notice her girlfriend had fallen behind, her pace slower as she kept looking over to her left.

"Yeah, well once that runs out we'll be lost. Not that I'm complaining, being lost in the dark woods with you or-... Chloe?" Max stopped and turned around after finally noticing she wasn't following. Her dim flashlight travelled along the rails towards the punk, the girl stepping forward slowly towards the woods.

"Max, come check this out…-" Chloe spoke up and shook her flashlight a bit to catch the brunette's attention. Max shifted her gaze towards the sight and gasped quietly.

Looming over the treetops was a large, metal overhang made out of corrugated steel. Underneath rested a large pile of logs, none of them cut, as rusty tools were scattered around the area. Max squinted her eyes and could make out an entire building in the far distance, the weak flashlight barely causing broken glass to glimmer back in the darkness - she noticed how some of the rusty, overgrown rails had snaked off towards the old abandoned building.

"S-Shit. What is it..?" Max asked and quickly made her way next to Chloe, a bit uneasy at the sight.

"I dunno. Looks like a lumber mill - kinda makes sense considering these are deep woods." Chloe begun to step forward with Max in tow, both of them shining their flashlights ahead as they scanned around the area. They came upon the few rusted tools - a lumberjack axe, a saw and log hooks used for loading and unloading. "Yeah, definitely a lumber mill."

"O-Oh. That's cool." Max took out her free hand from her pocket and ran it along the rusted edge of the log hook.

"Careful! You don't wanna cut yourself." Chloe quickly snapped her hand towards Max's and swatted it away. The brunette immediately placed her hand back into her jacket, her flashlight drifting around them to look for other interesting stuff.

"How long do you think it's been like this?" Max spoke up and saw her own breath in a wispy vapour - it was getting _cold_. Chloe shrugged and shone her flashlight towards the rusted rails that trailed off - she noticed there were a few abandoned train carts only a few metres away, standing quietly amongst the darkness as the light reflected of the dirty windows.

"Hey, look." Chloe gestured towards the train carts as Max quickly spotted them herself. There were two passenger carts and one large, flat one - probably for logs or other cargo. "Abandoned carts - they look _ancient_."

"Chlo-.. I don't know about this..-" Max spoke quietly but followed her girlfriend, the punk walking slowly towards the carts. "This place is creepy."

"Yeah, no shit Maximus - it's an abandoned lumber mill in the middle of the woods." Chloe teased and felt the fist make contact with her arm immediately. "Ow-!"

"Asshole."

"Your asshole."

"My assho-.. EW!"

Chloe burst out laughing and continued to walk - Max grumbled under her breath and shot a frown at her girlfriend, the punk had her back turned and didn't notice. The two girls approached the first jet black cart, the windows dirty and overridden with cobwebs - the brunette shuddered as she thought about the kinds of spiders they could possibly encounter. Chloe quickly hoisted herself up onto the small steps and turned around, her hand held out for her already waiting girlfriend - she helped her up quickly.

"Wooow, this is _hella_ cool." Chloe spoke as she stepped inside - the door was missing completely, seemingly taken out of its hinges or ripped away. Her flashlight shone around the entire cart as she stood in awe.

The entire cart was still filled with seats, a few of them ripped apart as the springs underneath had made themselves known after years of constant use. There was a quiet bar in the corner, a few stools up against it that sat either beaten or broken, couple missing seats completely. Her flashlight travelled across the walls as it shone over paintings, pictures and some sorts of awards or diplomas - the punk squinted her eyes a bit as she tried to make out some of the faded writing.

"What _is_ all this stuff…?" Max felt a bit confident and stepped around Chloe, her own dim flashlight travelling around the various seats she passed. All of them were empty yet most had contained various trash dotted around that could have stretched back _decades_.

"Don't ask me." Chloe walked closely behind Max, her stronger cone of light shining ahead to ensure the brunette wouldn't fall over anything on the floor. They reached the small bar tucked away as they looked over the entire thing, their own flashlights exploring different parts of the counter. Max slipped her way past the small opening near the side and stood on a slightly raised platform behind the counter - she dropped to her knees and began to look over the contents.

"Holy-.. Chloe, look at this!" Max exclaimed quietly and looked up at her girlfriend. Chloe quickly made her way around and looked at what Max was talking about - her mouth dropped.

"Is that a fucking _gun?_ " Chloe spoke and reached forward, grabbing the large rifle that was hung up on two hooks underneath the counter. She ran her hand over the entire thing - it was heavily rusted, the trigger was missing and there were visible holes in the barrel. "Awesome.."

"I think its a Winchester rifle…" Max spoke quietly and saw Chloe instantly shoot her a glance.

"How the hell do you know that?" Chloe asked and kept her gaze on the brunette - Max blushed a bit and looked back at the gun.

"I've..- Uhm. I've played console games. This was a rifle on Red Dead Redemption." Max remembered her teenage escapades of playing games on her consoles. Chloe giggled and moved her head closer to Max's, planting a big kiss on her cheek.

"You're such a cute little nerd." Chloe stood back up and shone her flashlight across the full length of the cart - they had nearly come to the end of the first one. She extended her hand down towards her girlfriend and helped her stand back up. "Whatever it is, it's old."

"Yeah." Max looked over to the door separating their cart from the other one - her eyebrows furrowed a bit. Chloe looked at Max and took the hint, slipping past the counter opening again and walking up to the door - her hand rested on the knob as she rattled it. Locked.

"Well, that's shitty." Chloe spoke and shook the handle again - the door didn't give.

"Probably for the better, we don-... _Chloe!_ " Max saw her girlfriend brace against the door and lean back, immediately throwing herself up against it as the rusty lock instantly gave in. Chloe barrelled into the next train cart and held onto the door to help her keep balance. Max ran inside after her and shone her flashlight over the entire thing.

This cart was far, far emptier. There were only two seats - one at the front and one at the back, Max had assumed that the rest were either dismantled or taken by force. The cart also had windows, however whereas the other one simply had dirt on them, this cart had the windows completely blacked out - significantly adding to the creep factor. Her dim flashlight rested on the middle of the train cart - there was a large mound of dirt along the entire thing, a few rocks and pebbles scattered around as it all looked out of place.

"Okay, now _this_ is creepy." Chloe spoke as her own flashlight joined Max's on the dirt mound in the middle. The punk felt a weird aura in the entire place - a slight _deja vu_ as it were, almost as if she had seen all this before. "What the hell is that doing here?"

"Chloe-.. I don't know about this..-" Max felt the shiver travel up her spine as she saw her girlfriend approach the middle. She quickly scattered forward to stay close to her, not wanting to be alone in the dark, creepy train.

"Huh." Chloe ran her foot over the top of the dirt, occasionally stepping a bit into it as she tried to get a feeling if there was anything underneath. She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair, scratching at it as she was unsure. "I don't think there's a body underneath…-"

"You don't _think?_ Chloe, this is far too fucking creepy for me." Max confessed and took a step backwards - her dim light shone onto the punk as she knelt down beside the dirt.

"Haha, holy shit - check _this_ out." Chloe reached forward and fumbled around the dirt a bit, the girl obviously having spotted something that Max hadn't. She watched as her girlfriend pulled out a yellowed piece of paper, creased and ripped at the edges - there was writing in the middle, rough and simple, done with either some sort of coloured ink or _blood._

' _FIRE WALK WITH ME'_

"Are you _cereal?_ Twin Peaks?" Max instantly remembered the origin of the words, her head slightly shaking in disbelief - her heart stopped it's quicker beat as she felt a bit relieved.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who found this place." Chloe dropped the piece of paper back down and stood up, her flashlight travelling the length of the cart again as she failed to notice anything interesting. "I _knew_ that I had seen something like this before."

"Certainly doesn't take away from the creep factor, that's for sure." Max admitted and waited for her girlfriend. Chloe nodded and made her way over towards the brunette, her hands drifting down around the girl and resting on her hips.

"How about we spend a night here..-" Chloe kept moving forward and shoving her girlfriend lightly towards the wall - Max found her back pressed against the cold, dirty metal relatively quickly as she looked up at the punk. "Just me and you..- in the wilds..-" Chloe dropped her head down a bit and moved in towards Max's ear. "Nobody to hear us.."

" _Chloe!"_

"Hey, just a suggestion!" Chloe burst out laughing and moved back, her flashlight shining over the flustered brunette.

"I'd rather not spend my night in the middle of a forest, an abandoned lumber mill at that, inside an unsecured train cart that has obscure references to Twin Peaks in it - thank you very much." Max shone her own flashlight over Chloe's face and saw the punk continue to smile - the upwards cone of light had cast shadows over the punk's face that gave her a creepy, sadistic look.

"Fine, fine." Chloe held up her hands in defeat and knew even _that_ suggestion was a bit too far. "I see your point. C'mon, let's go check out the mill."

" _Now?"_

"No time like the present, girlfriend." Chloe wrapped her arm around Max and began to lead the two of them out of the train cart. Max nodded quietly and kept close to Chloe as they entered the first cart again, the eerie atmosphere significantly dropping as this abandoned cart was far, _far_ more inviting than the one behind them. The brunette shone her flashlight over the bar again and saw light begin to flicker slightly - the batteries obviously giving in.

"Chlo, my flashlight is about to run out." Max pointed out and saw Chloe look at her as they continued to walk.

"It's fine Max, we still have mine - remember?" Chloe shone the light directly in Max's face as the brunette closed her eyes and scrunched up her face - the punk laughed out loud again as they reached the end of the cart.

They promptly made their way out of the cart, taking extra care not to fall from the rather steep steps leading off it. Max turned off her flashlight and pocketed it, hoping to conserve what little light was left for later when her girlfriend _inevitably_ pulled some kind of prank on her. Chloe kept the brunette close as they approached the old abandoned building - the entire thing looked like a factory of sorts from the early 50's, a hastily constructed mill that was meant to stay open only a few years at best. They quietly hoisted themselves up on the slightly raised concrete foundation that the building was sat on, the rusty door that lead inside was slightly agape - obviously pried open before, perhaps decades ago.

Their only flashlight scanned around inside as they entered, the two staying close as they both now felt the shivers and chills on their spines - even the toughest of people would be creeped out by what they saw inside. Circular saws, normal saws, large and rusty machinery - there were long hanging lights above, all the bulbs either broken or simply not working. The full length of the warehouse looking structure was covered in walkways, some above the important looking machinery and some simply to the sides. Chloe spotted a large sheltered room above it all, a sort of foreman's office it seemed like - probably where all the controls and old documents were.

"Hey, look up there - Foreman's office...?" Chloe asked and waited for her girlfriend to respond. Max furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged.

"Dunno." Max watched as her girlfriend started to increase her own pace, leaving the brunette behind slightly as she nearly bounded towards the stairs up. " _Chloe!_ Are you cereal? Those walkways look like they'll crumble from all the damn rust on them."

"Stay here then, I'll go check it out." Chloe turned around but hear the quiet whimper of pleading from her brunette girlfriend. She sighed and turned back around. "Fine, let's get out of here."

"No..- Chloe, if you want to go check it out then go - seriously! I-.. I'll just hang out down here and wait, okay?" Max felt a bit guilty for forcing Chloe to change her mind so quickly - the punk was obviously excited to explore the place, a little piece of history that was abandoned oh so long ago.

"Are you sure..?" Chloe asked to confirm with Max, the brunette nodding quickly in return.

"I'm serious, go and look what's up there. I'll wait." Max smiled her best and saw Chloe almost jump up in excitement. The punk approached her girlfriend and gave her a smooch on the cheek to thank her, turning around and bounding off for the rusty stairs. "Just be careful!"

"Yeah, don't worry Maximus!" Chloe shouted back and took two steps up at a time, the rusty staircase creaking quietly underneath her weight as she went up.

Max sat herself down quietly on the stairs, her hands lingering in her pockets over her own flashlight. She took it out as she heard her girlfriends footsteps in the distance on the creaking walkway, each time she stepped the entire thing shook almost uncomfortably. She turned on her flashlight and was met with the dim glow of the bulb, the batteries not holding on that much anyway as it barely provided enough light to see herself in the darkness.

"Yeah, go there yourself. Just make sure you don't fall and you know, break your leg or arm or something - we all know just how careful you are Chloe. Ugh." Max spoke quietly to herself to keep calm - she hated being in the dark, never mind being _alone_ in the dark. Whilst she appreciated her girlfriends enthusiasm for urban exploration, she didn't exactly think it was safe herself - this place especially so due to all the circular saws and other sharp objects still lying around, rusting for decades.

Chloe found her way inside the office with relative ease - the door was already wide open, the lock having been broken by some heavy object before. The punk shone her flashlight around as she looked at the small room - an obscene amount of glass was found all over the floor, amongst it were various needles and baggies with probably trace amounts of drugs. The punk shuddered a bit and stepped over the junk, making her way over towards the dusty desk and chair in one corner of the room - filing cabinets and other furniture was upturned and broken all over as Chloe figured that somebody went absolutely rockstar in the joint.

"Huh, what have we here…-" Chloe whispered and ran her hand along the desk towards a pile of old dusty documents. She picked up a few papers and held them under the light, struggling to read the faded typewriter letters on it. She had managed to make out a few figures which she thought were probably profits and losses for the mill - it seemed like the place was going seriously under before it closed down. "Going bankrupt in the middle of nowhere, it's your own damn fault for setting up here..."

Her flashlight travelled around the room as she tried to find anything else interesting - she was disappointed in the end as the entire place was already seemingly picked clean. She let out a quiet sigh and began to walk back out towards the door but spotted the dim light from across the lumber mill - her eyes lingered over the quiet brunette sitting far away, playing with the flashlight as she could barely make out quiet swear words and whispers of the girl. Chloe bit her lip and wondered whether she really should play a prank on the girl - _would it be cruel or…?_

The punk turned to her left and saw another doorway leading out, probably an employee entrance of sorts - the glass around it was broken as it clearly showed where it lead. Another walkway snaked away towards another set of stairs, the pathway underneath seemed to have lead all the way around the mill and perfectly made it's way _behind_ the brunette sitting on the other side. Chloe giggled to herself and walked out of the employee entrance, her footsteps quiet as she did her best to keep silent.

Max whacked the flashlight a few times as it began to dim even further, the batteries no longer holding on. She grumbled and almost whined out in panic as she really didn't want to be in the dark - her memories ran through all the times she had nightmares as a child of things in the dark. Sure, it seemed literally childish now, but back then? _Terrifying._ The brunette struggled with the flashlight as she kept trying to get whatever juice was left out of the batteries.

"Chloe…- please just come back already... Ugh!" Max gave up and simply watched the light fade away and away. Her head rested lazily on her curled up fist as she closed her eyes, hoping that her girlfriend will be back really, _really soon._

The lumber mill had fallen completely silent, the atmosphere was straight out of a horror flick as the only things heard were the crickets chirping quietly outside and the occasional howl of the wind. Max sat quietly in the darkness as once again she had opened her eyes, allowing her pupils to adjust to the darkness so she could see _something_ at least. A quiet clatter rung out from behind her as she jumped up and gasped, her eyes instantly focusing on the darkness behind her.

"Hello?" Max called out but didn't hear an answer. Another clatter of metal, closer this time, rung out from the same spot. Max gulped and felt her heartbeat increase as she stepped back - her body began to shake slightly, shivers travelled up her spine. "H-Hello...?"

"BOOYAH!" Chloe exclaimed as she jumped behind her girlfriend, her hands dropping onto her shoulders for extra effect - Max jumped up and screamed in horror.

"Oh, you ASSHOLE!" Max immediately turned around once her brain processed the voice and shoved her girlfriend away - the punk slightly taken aback at the force which had been exerted onto her. "This is not fucking funny!"

"S-Shit, sorry!" Chloe quickly stepped forward but was shoved away again, the brunette holding her finger up accusingly.

"Chlo, you know damn well I'm afraid of the dark! What made you even think this was a smart idea? What if I tripped and f-fucking fell into one of these saws?!" Max shouted and gestured to the rusty saws dotted around the entire mill. Chloe gulped and realised this actually wasn't a good idea _at all._

"I f-fucked up! I admit, you got me - I'm so fucking sorry." Chloe didn't even bother defending herself and raised her hands in the air. Max scowled at the girl and then stepped forward, her fist curling up as she hit the punk on the chest lightly.

"D-Damn it Chlo! J-Just.. Ugh!" Max gave up herself and simply wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist, pulling her in as she nuzzled her face into the leather jacket - her heartbeat began to slow down after the sudden fright. "D-Don't do it again."

"Message received." Chloe wrapped her own hands around Max and left a kiss on the chestnut hair as apologies. "Sorry."

"You better be." Max snarled and tightened her grip around Chloe, afraid of nothing in particular but simply finding comfort in the feeling of her being close.

"Uhm. Foreman's office was clean, all the interesting stuff already got picked clean it seems." Chloe spoke quietly and heard Max nodding in acknowledgement. "We should probably head back to the truck, it's getting pretty late."

"F-Finally." Max let out a sigh of relief and moved away from Chloe, one arm still snaked around her waist as she felt the punk drape her own over her shoulder.

"Did you not like it or..?" Chloe asked curiously as she began to lead them out of the inside of the mill - her flashlight shone onto the path in front of them so they could watch their step.

"N-No, I did. I'm just tired, cold and super fricking annoyed now." Max looked up and scowled at Chloe, the girl smiling awkwardly in return. "Don't ever do that again, I was d-damn mortified."

"I'm sorry." Chloe quietly replied and led them out of the abandoned building.

They were instantly met with the cold, bitter sting of the night air - the creaking of the pines and metal around them once again creating the eerie atmosphere. The sky was relatively clear, the full moon peeking over the treetops that surrounded the entire lumber mill. Chloe jumped off the concrete foundation that the mill was built on and held out her hands for her girlfriend - Max jumped down and was caught by the taller girl as she eased her landing. The punk used the opportunity to pull the girl into a full embrace, one of her hands snaking their way up to her neck and resting there - her fingers playing absentmindedly with the chestnut hair.

"Hey." Chloe whispered as her face rested a few inches away from Max's.

"Hi." Max whispered back and looked at the azure-blue eyes of her lover.

"You ever kiss under a full moon?" Chloe smirked and felt Max's hands wrap around her too, holding on tight - the brunette noticed the smirk under the moonlight shining down on them both.

"No-..." Max replied and knew exactly where this was going, her heartbeat increasing a bit.

"Let's change that, shall we?" Chloe moved even closer and brushed her nose against Max's, giving her an eskimo kiss.

One of Max's hands drifted up along Chloe's back and rested on her neck too, the brunette slowly pulling the punk into a kiss. They met halfway as their lips clashed, their tongues darting in between as they fought for dominance. Both their hearts were racing, pounding away at their chest as their mix of feelings pooled around it - their love and passion for one another entwined. Kissing was one thing, kissing with tongues was another - yet kissing with tongues under the moonlight of a full moon? That was _something else_. Chloe began to lean forward a bit, Max allowing herself to recline into the strong arms wrapped around her as she was nearly swept off the ground - they deepened their kiss even further. They went on for a few more seconds before they finally came up for air, the two of them staring at each other's eyes silently as they smiled.

"You like it?" Chloe asked quietly and bit her lip, bringing Max back up to her feet properly.

"I loved it." Max replied and kept her eyes locked with Chloe's. "You're a romantic sap, you know that?"

"Groaaaaaaaaaaaan."

"It's _sooo_ true."

"This is what I get for trying to do something nice to my girl."


	11. Dirty Magic

Max snored quietly with her head down between her arms, her forehead plastered against the cold linoleum of the diner table. A few patrons walked by and shot her slightly concerned glances, a few almost stopping to ensure the girl was okay - they stepped away quickly when they saw the approaching blue-haired punk, the girl striding through the diner with her hands in her pockets. She let out her own yawn and sat down opposite the brunette, her head slumping back against the seat as she herself was completely beat after their small adventure yesterday - there was only so much sleep you could catch in the slightly uncomfortable seat of an old truck.

Chloe let out yet another yawn and leaned forward, her hand drifting over to the brunette sleeping quietly just in front of her - she ran her fingers through the chestnut hair and smiled. Her lips tugged even further as her smile developed to a mischievous grin - she brought up her hand and suddenly slammed it down beside the girl, the hipster instantly shooting up and rubbing her eyes.

"S-Shit, what's happening...?" Max groggily spoke out as she rubbed her eyes, her gaze starting to slowly look over their surroundings. She realised they were still in the diner they entered only a few minutes ago - a few of the patrons were looking over at their booth due to the punk's sudden disturbance. Max rested her gaze on her blue-haired girlfriend and noticed she held a mischievous grin - she couldn't hold her giggle any longer as she burst out once her eyes met Max's.

"Wakey, Wakey Maximus - our food is _almost_ here." Chloe spoke through her giggles and saw Max send her a scowl.

"Such an asshole." Max replied and put her hands on her face, rubbing it for a few seconds as she did her best to wake up further. "Ugh..-"

"C'mon, stay with me girlfriend." Chloe pulled back her hands and reclined back in her seat again.

"Chloee..- I just want to sleep." Max once again placed her head back down on the table, covering herself with her hands as she closed her eyes and felt her body calling for more sleep. Chloe laughed again and lightly kicked Max's sneakers to cause a distraction. "Mmh..- go away.."

"Maaaax…" Chloe called out playfully as she began to playfully step over the sneakers with her cowboy boots. She heard the brunette grumble quietly as her hands further pulled in around her head in an attempt to ignore the punk. "Maax…-"

"Fine." Max finally gave up and looked up from her place through half-lidded eyes, her head turning as her hands ran over the back of her neck to ease the aching muscles. "I hate sleeping in the truck."

"You're the one who insisted we sleep in it rather than have me find a motel.." Chloe pointed out as her hands wandered over to the saltshaker in between them, her fingers grasping it and beginning to play around with the small thing.

"That _was_ the plan until you decided to stick around that damn mill for another _two hours._ " Max retorted and held a frown on her face as she looked at her girlfriend. "I don't know why the hell you insisted we 'leave our mark' on the damn place."

"That took like… five minutes at most - you're overdramatizing it." Chloe tilted the saltshaker and pointed it at Max, waving the small container around playfully. The brunette simply rolled her eyes and went back to looking around the diner.

The two girls went quiet as they listened to the jukebox music being played around the diner, some sort of rock song - the guitar whined quietly as it was periodically joined by the drums or the husky voice of the singer. Chloe watched as the waitress behind the counter took their order from a small window connected to the kitchen - she balanced the two plates on her hand and forearm whilst she lugged a coffee jug in the other. Max once again drifted off into sleep as she slumped down on her arm, her mouth slightly agape as a quiet snore escaped her.

"Max, wake up - food is here." Chloe called out loud enough to catch Max's attention. Instantly the brunette woke up as she picked up the aroma of the eggs and bacon making their way towards them, the unmistakable lingering smell of fresh coffee followed suit. The punk giggled quietly at the reaction and looked back up at the waitress.

The plates were placed in front of each girl as they looked it over - both of them had relatively the same portion of bacon and eggs. The waitress quickly poured them both coffee into their empty mugs and let out a wide smile at either girl.

"Thanks." Chloe spoke up and began to dig into her food. She heard a quiet rumble just in front of her as Max's stomach cried out for the food - the brunette immediately dug in and ignored the fact she was getting a few stares. The waitress simply chuckled and walked back around the counter to tend to the other patrons.

They ate their breakfast quietly and occasionally shot glances at one another, smiles and winks returned as neither of them had wanted to disturb the atmosphere of the diner - the presence of other people, the soft jukebox music, talking and laughing and so much more. It reminded both of them of the Two Whales.

"So - whaddya wanna do today?" Chloe asked as she finished swallowing some of her eggs and bacon. Max shrugged and slurped on her coffee, the hot beverage certainly giving her the early morning kick that she needed.

"I don't know. To be honest I kinda want to just hang out in a motel room all day and sleep." Max admitted and resumed eating her breakfast, her words being met with a chuckle from the bluenette sitting opposite.

"I see you're already planning ahead for our outing then, hmm?" Chloe teased and pointed her fork over at Max. The girl froze and processed the words - her memories were brought to bear as she remembered her own words to Chloe yesterday.

"O-Oh. I forgot." Max confessed and dove back into her eggs with her fork.

"Don't worry, we don't have to go to a club or bar or whatever _today_. It's up to you girlfriend, we can stay in Spokane as long as we need to." Chloe bit into her bacon and relished the taste - it was _almost_ as good as Two Whales, yet there was _something_ missing and she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"No, I want to go today Chlo-... I just forgot, like I said. I didn't mean anything by it." Max corrected herself and saw her girlfriend reply with a wide smile.

"In that case - we're _hella_ partying tonight." Chloe giggled and finished off her bacon as her fork drifted over to the remainder of her eggs.

"J-Just…- Go easy on me, okay? I've never partied like you so..- you know." Max finished her own eggs and bacon as her hand drifted to her mug. She took a couple of quiet sips and heard Chloe nodding opposite, the sound barely audible over the rest of the noise in the diner.

Chloe went about finishing her breakfast plate, slurping down her strong black coffee along with it as neither girl had felt the need to talk. Max kept her gaze moving around the diner as she spotted the little details - the small shelf in the back with postcards, framed pictures and awards earned by the staff, visitor leaflets for Spokane and various other memorabilia. The brunette almost felt at home. Almost. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the patrons talking, laughing and milling about - if she didn't know better then she'd be able to confidently say she _was_ sitting in the Two Whales during early morning hours. Yet she knew that the Two Whales didn't exist anymore. Neither did Arcadia. Max began to draw random shapes on the table as she kept blinking, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill if she continued down her train of thought.

"Hey, you okay?" Chloe spoke up as she looked down from her coffee cup. Max looked up and nodded quietly, flashing a weak smile at her girlfriend before resuming her random drawing. "Want to talk…?"

"I-... Is it okay if we do it here...?" Max spoke up and let out a sniffle, betraying her emotions and thoughts to the punk. Chloe quickly nodded and shuffled out of her seat before slipping in beside Max - the brunette quickly took her place next to the punk and put her head on her shoulder, still fighting back the tears.

"C'mon, tell me what's up." Chloe wrapped her arm around Max and brought her in closer, leaning back in their seat as she looked over the entire diner.

"It's…- Ugh. I-It's this place, Chlo." Max sniffled again and ran her hand under her nose. Chloe nodded quietly and gave Max an understanding squeeze. "It j-just..- It feels like the Two Whales a-and..- and..-"

"It brings back bad memories." Chloe finished the sentence for Max. The brunette simply nodded and closed her eyes as her heart clenched in her chest, the slight pricks of pain from each memory of the diner stung her.

"Y-Yeah." Max replied quietly and listened to the quiet beat against her ear, the punk's heart rhythmically pumping in her chest.

"It's not the Two Whales though, is it?" Chloe pointed out and looked out of the window beside the couple, spotting a few trucks rolling past the quiet street. Max nodded against her chest and gave her a squeeze.

"I-I know." Max spoke and focused on the heartbeat again - a few stray tears began their slow crawl down her cheeks as she tried to not make a show of it in the diner. "I just f-feel like i-its my f-fault that it's a-all gone..-"

"Hey, what did I say about blaming yourself?" Chloe gave Max a shake and looked down at her. The brunette looked up slowly, her glistening eyes meeting Chloe's before she gave her a curt nod in reply.

"S-Sorry. I just-... Chlo, it was m-my choice." Max once again lowered her gaze and felt one hand cup her chin, bringing it back up so the two girls looked at each other.

"You didn't cause that storm Max - we still don't even know if it _was_ anything to do with your powers. Hell, we don't even know if you travelling back in time wouldn't just result in the same damn storm anyway - even if I-... I died." Chloe spoke out quietly and put her forehead against Max's, her own heart sinking slightly at the mention of her own possible sacrifice.

"Chlo, what if it happens again…"

"Max, we've been on the road for a week - have you seen anything strange happening meanwhile?" Chloe moved her hand from below Max's chin and rested it on her cheek instead, her thumb slowly wiping away the quiet tears the girl had shed.

"N-No."

"Exactly. Max - whatever this was, whatever that freak superstorm was - it's over. We're safe, we're alive and we're together." Chloe finished off her sentence with an eskimo kiss, her face a mere few millimetres away from Max's.

"I-.. It's getting e-easier." Max admitted and closed her eyes, her mind resting on the touch of the pale hand against her cheek, the nose brushing against hers softly. She sniffled and felt the thoughts of Arcadia and the Two Whales slowly fade away, replaced by memories that have yet to be made - her and Chloe together, their future.

"What about the nightmares?" Chloe asked as she was slightly curious, her mind wondering if Max was suffering from worse nightmares than before.

"T-.. They're still there. It's still the s-same damn thing. I stand on that d-damn cliff a-and watch it all..- ugh." Max shook her head and felt another wave of tears coming on. She let out a quiet sob, loud enough for only Chloe to hear, and moved her face closer into the punk's hand as she yearned for more contact.

"Hey, it'll be okay. We're going to get over all of this, it's still fresh on both our minds - time heals all wounds, r-right?" Chloe felt her own voice quaking as she watched her girlfriend quietly crying. Max nodded after a few moments and sniffled loudly, her eyes opened and she quickly ran her hands over them to get rid of the tears.

"R-Right." Max wrapped both her hands around Chloe and held on, the last of her tears draining as she began to feel better about it all again. It was slow going and an almost daily repeat of the same thoughts, words and gestures - yet each time they went through it they both felt better than before.

Chloe pulled her other arm around Max and simply held the girl in an embrace, her own heart slightly heaving at the emotions she herself was experiencing - yet it was far easier for her to forget than the brunette. Chloe had spent the last 5 years hiding her emotions, ignoring them and constantly repressing them down into the infinite darkness. The punk looked up around the diner and noticed a few patrons staring at the embrace the girls were holding - she rolled her eyes as her hands gave Max a quick rub as she left a kiss on her chestnut hair.

"C'mon, we should get going to find a motel - you wanted to catch some sleep, yeah?" Chloe moved away from the embrace and looked down at the brunette. Max sniffled for the last time, ran her hands underneath her eyes and gave Chloe a weak smile.

"Y-Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Quiet music had managed to catch the attention of the tall punk as she walked down the street, her head promptly turned to the source, her eyes looking over an old - seemingly abandoned - building on the side of the street. Her eyes scanned through a small crowd gathering near an alley just to the side as they were held up by a tall, strong looking male - _a bouncer, perhaps?_ Chloe squeezed the petite hand in her own and turned her head towards the brunette walking beside her in the moonlight.

"Hey, I think I got the place." Chloe gestured with a nod towards the building across the road.

"Hmm? Oh. T-That's it…?" Max looked at the warehouse herself - her mind instantly screamed danger as she saw the rusty, corrugated steel roof and general run-down appearance of the entire place. "Uh-... Chlo, that looks kinda dangerous."

"Well...- you gotta take risks, right? C'mon, this own't be so bad." Chloe replied and felt her hand getting squeezed, the simple gesture almost telling her everything she needed - Max was scared, not just because it looked dangerous, but because it was going to be her first time partying amongst strangers.

"I'm..- I'm just nervous, okay?" Max replied softly and heard her girlfriend nodding beside her.

"Don't worry, I'll be there with you." Chloe smiled down at Max and began to lead them across the road quickly.

The two girls reached the small queue quickly - a few looks and glares were sent their way as they quietly waited their turn. Chloe shot a few glances at the people standing in front, noticing a few well built jocks and teen boys around her and Max's age. Her hand let go of Max's as her arm was quickly draped over the brunette, bringing the girl closer as the hipster replied by wrapped a hand around the punk's waist. The queue moved along quickly as the bouncer did a quick pat down of everyone for anything strictly illegal before letting them in.

Chloe stepped forward and let go of Max for a second as she placed her hands behind her head - she gave the girl a wink and smiled. Two rough hands began a quick pat down her entire body, double checking her pockets to ensure she wasn't carrying. The bouncer let out a simple nod and gestured the punk towards the open door beside him - Chloe quickly stepped inside and waited for Max to follow up. She noticed that the bouncer was slightly easier on the smaller girl, only giving her one pat down rather than two for a double check - probably something to do with the fact she looked so damn innocent.

"Uhm…- So what kinda music do they play here?" Max asked quietly as the two girls began to walk along a long, dimly lit corridor towards the source of the music.

"From what I read it's mostly cover bands of rock and punk songs…- Uh, not really EDM club style shit is it?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the girl. Max shook her head and replied with a weak smile.

"It's fine. I'm not really into EDM anyway..- Punk _is_ my guilty pleasure too.." Max pointed out and looked ahead again. The corridor was coming to an end - a small half wall separated the actual bar from the rest of the building. Max heard the music begin to slowly fade out, the strumming of electric guitars dying a few moments later followed by a drum beat.

As they stepped inside the first thing they were met with was the brightly lit bar in the middle - the counters ran completely around a large shelf in the middle that contained various liquors, spirits and other types of alcohol. There were two bartenders making their rounds to the various patrons sitting on the stools and talking, male and female alike - laughter and loud chatter was easily audible in the currently quiet club. There was a large crowd standing around the raised stage in the back of the club - there were a few people talking and gathering instruments as it seemed that bands were currently changing, hence the interruption in the music. Booths, tables and seats were dotted around the entirety of the interior - a few of them were taken by singles, couples and groups of people as they drank their drinks and talked amongst themselves.

Max thought it was simple - a slightly dingy underground bar where people came to drink, listen and generally relax after a hard week without questions being asked. It worked for her - she didn't need to ask for anything else.

"Well…- this is kinda cool." Max spoke and heard Chloe giggle next to her.

"Yeah, it's more so a bar than a club though - isn't it?" Chloe gestured towards the large bar in the middle and saw Max nod out of the peripheral of her vision.

"I don't mind." Max gave Chloe a squeeze and nuzzled her face in her girlfriend's shoulder. Chloe began to lead them towards the middle as her gaze was already working around the inside to try and find them a small booth.

"Do you want to drink, dance or just hang out for now…?" Chloe asked as they arrived at the counter. Max furrowed her eyebrows and looked around the bar - she replied after a few moments with a simple shrug. "C'mon girlfriend, you're not giving me much to work with here."

"Chlo, I seriously don't mind - Uhm… How about we grab a drink first and just hang out?" Max suggested and instantly saw Chloe smile back in reply.

"Alright, whaddya want to drink?" Chloe saw as Max's face scrunched up in concentration - she quickly remembered that the girl hadn't ever had a proper drink, nevermind one at a bar. "Shit, nevermind - I'll get you something simple for now, m'kay?"

"Y-Yeah, that'll be good." Max returned a weak smile and then once again began to look around the large room.

Chloe placed both her hands on the counter and tapped them slightly as she waited to be serviced. She saw a slightly taller male approach with a smile on his face after a few seconds, one of the bartenders, as he was already calling out towards the punk waiting. The two quickly exchanged words as the bluenette ordered two fast and simple drinks - the bartender simply nodded in response and shuffled away after a few seconds to begin working on the drinks.

Another group of people had made their way onto the stage after a minute, each one carrying their own instruments except for the already provided drum set hugging the wall right at the back. Chloe's gaze rested on what she assumed was the lead singer - a young, raven-haired girl in her early 20's that was slightly taller than the bluenette. She began to go through the equipment as she laughed and talked amongst her band mates, testing the mic every few seconds to ensure it wasn't live yet. Chloe was snapped out of her mind when she heard the familiar clink of glasses being placed on the counter beside her - their drinks had arrived.

"Thanks." Chloe quickly called out and fumbled her hand into her leather jacket, her fingers searching for some loose bills. She quickly withdrew her hand and placed a $10 bill on the counter, her hands drifting over to the glasses as she grabbed them both - her eyes had now rested on her girlfriend standing quietly beside her. "C'mon, let's go and find a booth."

Max and Chloe spent a few moments looking for a quiet, out of the way booth in the corner of the bar. They shuffled through the light crowd gathering at the foot of the stage, people waiting for the next act, as they manoeuvred through larger and more compact groups of individuals that talked amongst themselves. The brunette slipped into a semi-circular booth and put her own drink down on the table just in front as the punk followed up behind her immediately.

"Sooo…- what'd you get me…?" Max asked curiously as she felt Chloe's hand drape over her shoulder and pull her in. The brunette ran her fingers along her glass and looked at the slightly swirling liquid inside, squinting for no particular reason as she examined the contents.

"Something simple for now - don't want you to get _too_ drunk. It's just a basic rum and coke, something sweet yet strong." Chloe looked down at the glass her girlfriend was investigating. "Thought it fit you rather well."

"Oh." Max raised her eyebrow and brought the glass closer to her nose, giving it a slight sniff. Her face scrunched up as she instantly caught the whiff of the very sweet, very intoxicating mixture swirling inside - Chloe chuckled loudly at Max's reaction and gave her another squeeze.

"C'mon, try it - I guarantee you'll like it." Chloe spoke up and nudged Max a bit, gesturing her to take a sip. The brunette hesitated for a second as she was unsure whether drinking alcohol was a good idea at _all_ \- yet her deeper insecurities and anxieties were pressed back down when she realised she had to live a little at some point. She let out a quiet sigh and brought to glass to her lips as she took a sip.

Max felt the slightly burning, sweet sensation of the rum and coke mix making it's way down her throat. At first her taste buds were overloaded with the amount of sugar she had tasted, it was far too sweet, but the sensation was quickly replaced by the slight sting of alcohol and the aftertaste of both the coke and the rum. She grimaced in her seat and shook her head slightly as she placed the glass back down, her tongue doing laps inside her mouth as she still felt the sweet mix clinging to the insides.

"Sooo…" Chloe began and looked over Max with her eyebrow raised.

"It's alright. Uhm. Bit too sweet, maybe?" Max finally replied after a few more seconds of clearing her mouth of the remaining drink. Chloe nodded and felt a slight weight drop off her shoulders at her girlfriends acceptance of the alcoholic drink - her eyes once again rested on the raven-haired girl on the stage.

"You'll get used to it after a while, I was like that my first few times too." Chloe ran her free hand across the table and grabbed her own drink - a simple vodka and red bull combo - as she took a slightly larger sip from the glass. The punk grimaced herself slightly but took the drink far better than her lightweight counterpart, years of partying and experience being a boon to her when it came to drinking.

"Where'd you find this place anyway?" Max asked curiously as she looked around the bar again.

"Google search. Just had to specify that I didn't want to be carded - took a while but here we are." Chloe teased and giggled afterwards, taking yet another sip of her drink. She had felt the light buzz it gave her each time, the happy gut tug that the release of alcohol in her system provided.

"So this is all illegal…?" Max gulped and felt a bit nervous at the prospect of willingly breaking the law.

"Yeah. You don't have a problem with that right? I mean - we can leave right now if you want if you're feeling uncomfortable, I just thought you'd like to let loose a bit and drink." Chloe looked down at her girlfriend with a slightly worried look on her face, the arm draped over the brunette's shoulder starting to retract a bit. Max quickly shook her head to the relief of Chloe, the punk visibly relaxing afterwards.

"It's fine, Chlo. I've just never done something like this before. Drinking, partying, dancing and whatever else…- I never felt confident enough to do it in Seattle and stuff, so… uhm. Yeah." Max confessed and placed her head against Chloe's shoulder, her eyes doing rounds over the band preparing to play on the stage.

Chloe stayed silent and readjusted her own gaze onto the stage. The band that had come up minutes ago had finally been ready to play - the guitarists were strumming quietly as they did last second adjustments, the drummer sat quietly in the back as the raven-haired singer stepped forward. Finally everything went silent as the first sound of the plucking guitar rang out around the venue, shortly joined by the other guitars and the drums.

**_** ...Maybe life is like a ride on a freeway_ **   
**_Dodging bullets while you're trying to find your way_ **   
**_Everyone's around, but no one does a damn thing_ **   
**_It brings me down, but I won't let them... **_ **

The raven-haired girl at the head of the band began to sing as she matched the rhythm set out by the guitars, starting slowly but quickly picking up at the pace increased in short bursts. The crowd burst into cheers as they recognised the song, yet another cover of a punk band that they all so knew and loved. Max and Chloe sat quietly and listened to the lyrics, occasionally taking sips from their drinks as neither of them had wanted to talk or do anything - they were here to simply relax, cut back from the constant driving and sightseeing they've been doing for days.

The music reverberated around the walls of the old warehouse as the entire structure nearly shook, the amplifiers going to work in helping the band deafen out the entire room. Bodies moved up and down to the beat - crashing against each other as the guitar riffs cut through the air. Not a single care on their mind as they were lost in their own world - all of them unique, all of them private. The air was clammy due to the immense amount of heat generated by so many dancing bodies, giving the bar an almost uncomfortable atmosphere after a while.

Max quickly began to feel the buzz of the alcohol getting to her, inexperience with alcohol being a huge factor for her body to try and adjust to after she almost jumped off the deep end with the drink she was consuming. The brunette kept a smile on her face as her eyes were closed, her mind focusing on the rough music constantly being played one song after the other - the presence of her punk girlfriend beside her providing the hipster with a warm, safe aura that she clung to at all times. Chloe hadn't said a single word the entire time as she allowed her own body to fully relax, her aching muscles, joints and bones finally getting the rest they so deserved after constantly moving over the past week. Neither of the two girls had even brought up the thoughts of Arcadia, the storm or anything bad that had happened to them in the past - the alcohol was definitely a contributing factor, an almost welcome addition to both of them.

"Hey, wanna dance a bit?" Chloe eventually broke the silence between them both as she heard a familiar song begin to get played, the crowd once again cheering as they themselves recognised it. Max opened her eyes and looked towards the punk with a large, goofy smile on her face.

"Yeah." Max simply replied but felt that it took almost great effort to not slur the simple word, the alcohol definitely getting to her brain. Chloe quickly slid out of the booth and drifted her hand down to Max's, dragging her girlfriend out behind her as they both made their way to the large crowd constantly present in front of the stage. With a few pushes, shoves and pulls they finally made it to the middle of the gathering - their bodies pressed together as neither girl really cared how cramped the conditions were. The guitars quickly picked up pace as they screamed out the fast riffs of the punk song, the drums echoing in the background as the raven-haired singer began her own part.

Chloe and Max danced together, jumping up and down to the beat - riding the electric wave of the crowd - as they lost themselves in their eyes relatively fast. They felt as the other bodies crashed against theirs, but they didn't care - it brought them even closer. Their bodies touched as they danced, the feeling of almost ecstasy-like high riding through them, skin on skin contact as their clothes stuck to their bodies. Sweat found its way onto their foreheads as the hot, clammy air of the bar was finally getting to them - beads running down the sides of their head - sticking their hair to their face. They kept dancing, feeling the song beat pulse through their bodies as the bright lights washed over them in regular intervals, bathing them in an array of colours.

**_** ...I want you_ **   
**_In a vinyl suit_ **   
**_I want you bad_ **   
**_Complicated_ **   
**_X-rated_ **   
**_I want you bad... **_ **

Max and Chloe kept close to themselves, starting to come off their music-induced high when the beat started to die down after a few more seconds. The punk looked down at her girlfriend and bit her lip, seeing her with her eyes closed and still slowly swaying her body to the dying music. Max finally opened her eyes and saw the punk looking down at her, her own eyes filled with slight wander and passion - the brunette grinned wide and stuck out her tongue playfully. Chloe quickly took the opportunity to grip her girlfriend's hand and started to pull them both through the crowd. Her cheeks were flared up, her mind travelling quickly as the alcohol muddled her clear thoughts - right now she had one thing on her mind. The couple received a few remarks and scoffs but they didn't care. The two of them quickly made it to one corner of the venue, a dimly lit location on the edge of the crowd. As the music began to slowly pick back up again, Chloe lightly shoved Max against the wall with one hand, pinning her down against the cold bricks as she moved her body in close.

Their lips clashed in a flurry as they began their kiss, their bodies making contact quickly as Max's hands began to wander over Chloe's body. At first she gripped onto her back, her fingernails digging into exposed skin that wasn't covered by the black tank top - moments later they drifted down her back and slipped underneath the fabric instead. Chloe smiled as she felt the two hands begin to move up her sides, leaving a slightly colder trail the further they went up - right now she was thankful that none of the lights were shining down on either girl, catching them in their intimacy. Yet their spot wasn't the quietest one in the club as a few of the patrons, both sitting and dancing, noticed the two girls making out in the back - their alcohol muddled brains prompting them to cheer and whistle as the watched over the scene.

Chloe kept the brunette pinned against the wall with one hand, the other caressing her leg as they kept moving their lips in rhythm - their breaths were now hot and uneven as they struggled to finally breathe. Chloe moved away from Max's mouth after another second and placed her forehead against hers, the two of them taking their time to exhale loudly and catch their breath after their intimate moment. She heard the wolf-whistles, the cheers, the whoops and the shouts. She wasn't bothered - _this is a party, nobody is gonna remember shit anyway with a killer hangover._ She heard the beat of the music pulsing louder, reaching climax, then start to die away.

"W-Wowser." Max finally managed to blurt out as she recovered from the kiss, her hands running back down from underneath Chloe's shirt and resting on her hips. Her feelings were all over, her heart thumped against her chest as she was pleasantly surprised at just how much she actually enjoyed making out in a place like this. A dingy, run down bar atmosphere, pulsing music, eyes staring at them from all directions - it was _risque_ , definitely different from anything her and Chloe had done so far.

Once again another song began to slowly fade into existence around the venue. A few shouts were heard from the crowd as the song started. At first one guitar, then another, then a loud screech as the electric guitar burst into the duo - all of it shortly followed by the drums. Max recognised the song, one of her favourites, as her eyes drifted over the crowd behind her bluenette punk. People started to jump up and down in rhythm with the drums, raising the roof with their hands - drinks were spilled, phones were dropped and people shoved around as the crowd failed to even give a damn about it all.

Max quickly jumped forward off the wall and lightly shoved Chloe back towards the crowd, wanting to join in on the fun once again. Chloe quickly turned around and dragged her girlfriend through the groups to the centre of the pulsing crowd, pulling her close once again. She let their bodies rub against each other as they began to jump up and down with beat, with the crowd - almost as if they were all one. The crowd roared out the chorus as it came, completely deafening the actual song with how powerful it was. Max and Chloe joined in, looking at each other as they shouted out the lyrics.

"GO ON AND PULL THE SHADES, RAZOR BLADES, YOU'RE SO TRAGIC!"

"GO ON, I HATE YOU SO, BUT LOVE YOU MORE, I'M SO ELASTIC!"

"OF ALL THE THINGS YOU SAY, THE GAMES YOU PLAY, DIRTY MAGIC STUFF~!"

The crowd pumped their hands in the air as the chorus was sang out. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a concert, but it was simply an underground bar. Max and Chloe laughed as the chorus ended for the first time, keeping their gaze looked on each other, waiting for it to kick in again.

"GO ON AND PULL THE SHADES, RAZOR BLADES, YOU'RE SO TRAGIC!" Chloe shouted as she leaned in towards Max, continually jumping up and down with the rest if the crowd.

"GO ON, I HATE YOU SO, BUT LOVE YOU MORE, I'M SO ELASTIC!" Max craned her neck towards her girlfriend as she shouted back at her, starting to laugh now - following the jumping of the crowd around them.

"OF ALL THE THINGS YOU SAY, THE GAMES YOU PLAY, DIRTY MAGIC STUFF~!" Both the girls shouted in unison, closing whatever gap was left between them as they allowed their bodies to touch in earnest. Chloe wrapped one arm around the brunettes shoulder and kept pumping the air with her other one. Max snaked her arm around her girlfriend's waist, using her other hand to copy her girlfriends action. The two of them jumped up and down in unison, joining the crowd again. The two were laughing as they felt the bodies of everyone else closing in, getting ready for the last chorus.

"GO ON AND PULL THE SHADES, RAZOR BLADES, YOU'RE SO TRAGIC!"

"GO ON, I HATE YOU SO, BUT LOVE YOU MORE, I'M SO ELASTIC!"

"OF ALL THE THINGS YOU SAY, THE GAMES YOU PLAY, DIRTY MAGIC STUFF~!"

The music once again began to fade out in a wave of cheers and whistles from the crowd, a few groups dispersing as they went over to their own booths, seats or the bar. Chloe laughed with Max as the two of them moved away from from the still swaying crowd, the punk leading the way back to their own booth. The two of them quickly slipped back into their seats and grabbed their drinks, taking sips as the cool liquid made it's way down both their throats.

"That was awesome!" Max readjusted herself so she could sit up as much as possible next to Chloe, hear head slumping down on her shoulder with a large smile. Chloe giggled in agreement and took another sip from her drink.

"Which part?" Chloe teased and turned towards Max. The brunette turned her head towards Chloe and moved in for a quick kiss, her lips brushing over the punks for a second before she moved back.

" _Definitely_ the kiss."

"I knew it." Chloe smiled and looked back over towards the stage and the crowd, letting her finally thoughts gather in relative peace. Max resumed her own position and also kept her focus on the crowd, neither girl speaking another word as they were both happy - their music-induced high slowly wearing off.

Chloe kept her gaze on the raven-haired singer of the band on stage, occasionally catching the girl shooting her glances back - the bluenette could almost swear she gave her a wink or two a couple of times too. Max's drink surprisingly ran dry first as the brunette enjoyed the kick it was giving her, the alcohol allowing her to completely fade away from any kind of guilt or fear she ever had. She kept quiet as she was slightly woozy from the drink, her brain still capable enough to keep telling her that she'll just make a fool of herself if she spoke. Chloe noticed after a few minutes that Max kept shifting uncomfortably in her arms, prompting the punk to look down at her.

"Hey, you alright?" Chloe asked and heard Max nod after a second.

"Yesh-.. Yes." Max slurred out quietly and instantly kicked herself mentally for speaking in her inebriated state. Chloe giggled and moved her mouth close to Max's ear, giving her a squeeze to bring her closer.

"Want another drink…?" Chloe saw the brunette almost instantly light up with a goofy smile and nod.

"Yesss…" Max kept her smile and felt her body slightly sway as she held the word for a few seconds.

"Stay here, I'll go for a refill." Chloe grabbed her own drink and downed the contents in one, eliciting a giggle from Max. The punk grabbed both their glasses, left a kiss on the brunette's forehead and slid out of the booth - making her way through the crowd towards the bar. Max reclined back in the booth silently and closed her eyes as she listened to the music.

The punk approached the bar moments later and placed the two glasses on the counter. She noticed the same bartender from before shoot her a glance as she gestured for a refill. He simply nodded and took the glasses away, leaving the bluenette on her own. Chloe ran her hand through her hair and let out a content sigh, her other hand tracing random shapes across the counter as she patiently waited for her drinks. She heard the music fade out after another minute, heard a few inaudible words being said and a few cheers from the crowd. Finally she heard how somebody approached her and sat down on a stool just beside, catching Chloe's attention - she turned to her side and noticed the raven-haired singer smiling at her.

"Hi." The raven-haired girl spoke up after a moment and turned her gaze towards the bartender, shooting him a gesture to come over.

"Uh. Hey?" Chloe replied and turned back towards the bar slightly awkwardly.

"So, what are you up to?" The girl continued speaking as she looked over the punk, her hand tapping away at the vinyl counter patiently. Chloe turned her head back towards the girl with a blank expression.

"Waiting for my drink. _Drinks._ " Chloe quickly corrected herself and looked over at the approaching bartender.

"Oh. Right. Well, I'm Kristy - what about you?" The girl was quick to make her introductions, slightly off set by the punk's mention of multiple drinks. Chloe was a bit hesitant at the sudden advancement but bit the bullet - what could go wrong?

"Chloe."

"So are you new around here? I haven't seen you before." Kristy pointed out and gestured around the bar. Chloe simply nodded in return as she grabbed the two drinks that were placed on the counter, her hands lingering over the glass for a few seconds as she was unsure whether she should continue the conversation or go back to Max.

"Yeah, you could say that." Chloe stood still and looked back at Kristy with a weak smile. Their eyes met for a second as the punk felt her stomach almost flip at the gaze. "Just passing through the city."

"Oooh… Not staying long then?" Kristy asked and raised her eyebrow - her hand began to work through her pocket slowly as she looked for something.

"No." Chloe pushed herself off the counter with the two drinks and shot a smile at Kristy. "Sorry, gotta go."

"Oh! Right. Uhm. Hey, before you go - take this?" Kristy took out her hand from her pocket and held out a piece of paper. Chloe stood dumbfounded as she looked at the paper, then at Kristy, then back at the paper.

"W-What is it?" Chloe felt a bit nervous as she kept looking at the paper. Kristy giggled and slipped it into Chloe's jean pocket, giving her a wink that further made the punk uncomfortable.

"Incase you get bored." Kristy spoke bluntly and turned around, grabbing her drink and quickly going back towards the stage.

Chloe stood quietly and held the exact, dumbfounded expression she had made seconds before. Had this girl just given her phone number, her address maybe, to Chloe? She was completely frozen as she didn't know what to do - she had been hit on by girls before during her teenage rebellion, yet none had left her so speechless, left her after advancing so _quickly_ as Kristy did. Chloe finally gulped loudly and shook of her daze, walking back to Max's booth quickly without thinking too much into what just happened - there was no way in hell that she would even accept any kind of relationship with this girl.

"Heyy, what took you so long?" Max called out as Chloe slipped in beside her - the tall girl shot her a weak smile and wrapped her arm around the brunette after placing down their drinks. Max quickly took hers and began to take a sip, longing for the sweet taste of the mixed drink.

"Uh. Got held up at the bar, no biggie." Chloe left a kiss on Max's temple and let her lips stay there for a few seconds as the brunette giggled.

"What's this for hmm?" Max spoke up and smiled as she took another sip, enjoying Chloe's embrace and simple kiss on her temple.

"Just sayin' that I love ya." Chloe replied quietly and closed her eyes, banishing the thoughts of the raven-haired Kristy from her mind.

"Mm. I love you too." Max placed her drink back down and nuzzled her face into Chloe's shoulder, closing her own eyes and relaxing.

The two girls sat quietly and listened to the music resume after a few minutes. Max was lost in her own thoughts as she kept her goofy smile on her face, periodically burrowing further into the punk's shoulder and giggling quietly whenever she remembered something funny. Chloe heard the silky, smooth voice of Kristy once again echo around the venue as she did her best to not stare in the direction of the stage - her own thoughts kept racing over the small encounter with the girl at the bar.

Another hour passed as the two girls shared small talk, giggles and kisses over the entire period - neither of them bringing up anything to do with their road trip, Arcadia or the storm. It was all a welcome break from everything they've been doing, their outing at the bar being a simple bonding experience for the girls as they felt they were doing 'normal couple things' - hanging out, drinking and talking about nothing in particular. It was a definite change of pace from their road trip - the one that was designed to take them as far away from their troubles as possible, to start a new life away from it all.

"Mmhm.. I'm kinda sleepy…" Max finally spoke out after she finished her second drink. She felt her head swaying almost abnormally as her vision was slightly blurred - the alcohol had _definitely_ done its work for today.

"Want to go back to the motel?" Chloe spoke quietly and stared at her half-finished drink - she had wanted to stay somewhat sober so she'd be able to drag them both back to their motel in one piece.

"Yea.." Max closed her eyes for a second and rubbed her hands over her eyelids in an attempt to keep herself up. Chloe nodded and slowly slipped out of her seat, stretching her limbs and shooting at glance at the stage. Instantly she was met with the sight of Kristy staring back whilst she sang a quiet song - she had almost definitely spotted the wink she gave her right then. Chloe turned back around towards Max and dragged the brunette lightly out of the booth, draping her arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer.

"C'mon, let's go before you collapse." Chloe giggled and left a kiss on Max's cheek, starting to walk the two of them over towards the exit. Max giggled and nodded, wrapping her own hand around Chloe's waist and periodically running it up and down her side.

Max and Chloe left the bar after another minute of struggling to find the exit - both of them were inebriated so that had made things definitely harder. They walked out through the alley the underground bar was located in, making their way onto the dark and cold street that led them back towards their motel. Chloe kept her senses about as best as she could, watching over the area from time to time as she knew that the two of them looked like easy targets for any would-be muggers and whatever else.

"Thank you, Chlo." Max spoke quietly and stood on her tiptoes as best as she could, leaving a sloppy kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "Tonight was awesome."

"Glad you liked it." Chloe replied with a wide smile and a squeeze.

"Uhm…- is the morning going to suck…?" Max continued and looked down a bit as she remembered all the times she read and heard about killer morning hangovers from drinking too much. Chloe laughed loud enough for her voice to echo around the empty street.

"We'll have to see Maximus. It's your first time properly drinking so…- I'd say so, yeah." Chloe slumped her head slightly to her side and rested it on Max's chestnut hair as they continued to talk. "Don't worry, I'll be there to guide ya through it."

"Oh nooooo…~"

Chloe laughed again at her girlfriend's reaction as she continued to guide them back towards the motel for the night.

 


	12. Take Me Where The Roses Grow

"Oh dog…-"

"C'mon, it ain't _that_ bad."

"Chlo-.."

Max once again heaved forward and positioned her head directly above the toilet, her hands gripping onto the punk standing just beside. She felt the sickening feeling travel from her stomach and up her throat, stopping just short and teasing the girl. As quickly as the feeling came, it went back down again and left the brunette hanging. She _hated_ this.

"Jeez - nevermind then, it _is_ bad." Chloe patted her girlfriend on her back, giving her a light rub as she scrunched up her face slight disgust.

"Chloee…-" Max ran her hand over her forehead and closed her eyes - she could feel her head pulsing with each beat of her heart, the headache sending constant pains down her body as she struggled to stand up on her own. "This-... w-why did I drink..."

"Hey, don't tell me you're regretting it now - you loved it!" Chloe tried to find something positive in the situation at hand, letting out a weak smile as she kept the brunette standing up.

"I shouldn't ha-..." Max quickly heaved forward mid-sentence once again and felt the sick travel up in earnest this time.

Chloe simply watched as her girlfriend spewed out more mixed bile into the toilet bowl - she quickly turned her away in disgust as she did her best not to gag herself. Max was _definitely not_ having a fun hangover - then again, since when are hangovers fun _at all_? The punk did her best to comfort the girl and kept patting her back, rubbing along to soothe the girl in her momentary pain.

"M-Maximum regret..." Max spoke and spat out the slightly acidic residue left in her mouth. Chloe giggled quietly and earned a glare from the brunette that prompted her to shut up rather fast. The hipster ran her hands over her forehead again and groaned loudly as the pain intensified.

"How's the head?" Chloe asked quietly and looked down at the suffering girl.

"Baaaaad…" Max replied and nuzzled her face in Chloe's chest. "Hurts."

"Shit…- Uhm, we don't have any painkillers." The punk looked around the small motel bathroom they were in, her eyes resting on the small, already open medicine cabinet just above the sink - empty. "Want me to head out and buy some?"

"C-Can you? Pleasee.." Max pleaded as she felt herself getting guided back out of the bathroom - she no longer felt the lingering, sickening mix stewing in the bottom of her stomach. Chloe took great care in leading her girlfriend back to the double bed tucked away in the corner of the dimly-lit motel room, lowering the brunette down onto the covers and sitting down beside her.

"You don't need to ask me twice girlfriend. Just stay in bed, m'kay?" Chloe smiled and lowered herself down, leaving a kiss on Max's forehead.

"Like I have somewhere to be…-" Max groaned quietly and put her hand over her forehead, closing her eyes and resting her head on her pillow. The punk didn't waste a second and jumped off the bed, scrambling over to her leather jacket and quickly putting it on, following it up with her cowboy boots and her beanie.

"I'll be back in a few Maximus." Chloe hastily grabbed her truck keys and proceeded out of the motel room, her legs working overtime as she did her best not to overstep and fall down on the hard concrete just outside. She looked over at the parked rust bucket, her old Ford F150, sitting quietly in the middle of the lot just a few metres away from the motel complex.

The truck sparked to life after a few gruelling moments as Chloe let out a quiet sigh, her hands running over the wheel calmly as she gathered her thoughts just for a second. The vehicle lurched forward once the punk eased onto the pedal, leading the hulking bucket out of the parking lot and quickly merging onto the road that led into Spokane - they had rented a room in a small motel outside the city, it was cheaper and far quieter than the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area. Minutes passed in relative silence as Chloe focused on driving the truck as quickly as possible into the city, her gaze constantly scanning the streets for a pharmacy, a 24/7 or a gas station - _anything_ that would be selling some kind of painkillers. The bluenette noticed the lights ahead turning bright red, the colour being a stark contrast in the grey sky of the early morning - Chloe's hand drifted over to the small shelf underneath the radio as she checked her phone. **6:47AM.**

Her hands drifted over her notifications as she noticed that they had become less frequent as the girls road trip went on - at this point she was barely receiving anything new except for the stray text message or silent phone call. Chloe bit her lip and dismissed the notifications for the millionth time so far as she threw her phone back down onto the small shelf. She moved her hands up and messed around with the dials whilst she waited for the light to turn green, hoping to absentmindedly find something to listen to so she could get rid of the looming silence that befell her. Finally a soft melody rung out from the speakers, spilling into the cabin of the truck as the ending chords had already begun.

 **_** ...Meet me in the dark_ **  
**_Feel the beating of my heart_ **  
**_Take me to the place where the roses grow_ **  
**_We never get too far_ **  
**_Always crashing in your car_ **

**_Take me to the place where the roses grow_ **  
**_To the place that no one knows... **_ **

As quickly as the song came it had faded out, quickly being replaced by a faster paced EDM track - Chloe ignored it as she went over the night before, the raven-haired girl, the note. _The note!,_ she thought as stared up at the light and noticed it was _still_ red _._ Her hand drifted down from the clutch and into her pocket, fumbling around as it desperately tried to find the note she had received the night before - she fished it out relatively quickly and opened it. Her eyes went over the contents before they quickly rolled in their place.

' _call me -_ _2269062721_

_x kristy'_

The paper was promptly scrunched up and shoved into the glove box haphazardly in plain view.

"Fat chance." Chloe mumbled under her breath and finally let out a sigh of relief as the light turned green, the truck jolting forward immediately as the punk got impatient. Her eyes resumed their duty of looking around the streets, restlessly scanning each individual store as she was hellbent on finding a damn pharmacy or something that sold painkillers.

It didn't take long for the bluenette to find the fabled pharmacy once she reached the city proper - she left the truck on the curb, illegally parking, and ran inside to purchase painkillers for her girlfriend. Luckily for her she had managed to pop in and out of the store in record time, getting back into her truck before any stray officer spotted her shabby parking job and issued her a ticket. The Ford F150 shot back into life and pulled back onto the road in seconds as Chloe turned the rust bucket back towards the motel. Her return journey was quiet, the atmosphere in the cabin slightly grim but bearable as music once again filled the inside and allowed the punk to pass the time rather quickly as she hummed along with a few songs.

Chloe pulled back into the motel lot with a tug at the steering wheel, doing a shoddy job of parking her truck it once again as she was in a hurry - her door was slammed shut moments after the engine had turned off. As she ran up the stairs back to their motel room she had noticed that the sun began to peek over the city skyline in the near distance, the rays beginning to shine onto the tall glass buildings in the downtown area - if Max was in any condition to do so then this would _definitely_ be a shot worth taking. With a quick turn of the handle and a push of the door Chloe had found her way back inside their hotel room.

"Chlo...?" Max's weak voice sounded out in the otherwise silent room.

"Yeah, I'm here - got your hangover meds girl." Chloe smiled and took off her leather jacket, shaking around the bottle in her hands as she approached the brunette lying quietly on the bed.

Max struggled for a moment but propped herself up on her elbows, watching the approaching Chloe through half-lidded eyes as she did her best to concentrate through the headache. The punk sat down next to her slowly and opened up the bottle of painkillers, popping out two pills and handing it to her girlfriend with a smile. After a moment of hesitation the hipster finally took the pills and swallowed them dry, grimacing as she did her best to ignore the sickening feeling constantly present in her stomach.

"T-Thanks." Max whispered and fell back down onto her pillow, looking up absentmindedly at the whitewashed ceiling of their room.

"It ain't a biggie. Now you lay down and rest, the pills will start their work in a few minutes." Chloe held her smile on her face as she left a trail of kisses over Max's entire face, earning herself a smile in return.

"Can we c-cuddle…?" Max asked quietly and immediately saw Chloe's smile widen as she nodded.

"You bet, I haven't got my morning cuddles yet girlfriend." Chloe teased and heard Max groan quietly, the punk giggled in response and then made her way over the smaller girl - laying down beside her and draping one arm over her shoulder. Max quickly took her place and rested her head in the nook of her neck, nuzzling her face into her skin and letting out a content sigh as she felt herself getting pulled in closer.

"You're the best." Max whispered and closed her eyes, listening to the heartbeat of the girl holding her as she did her best to ignore the headache. " _Hella_ best."

"It has been said, yeah." Chloe giggled and closed her own eyes as she relaxed in her place, the presence of Max beside her being a calming influence. Finally she began to feel the wave of tiredness wash over her after their early morning wakeup call - the punk reached into her pocket with her free hand and took out her phone, checking the time. **7:32AM.**

"Ugh, it's still early…" Max looked up and noticed the time on her girlfriend's phone, hearing her nod in return as she put it down on the small nightstand beside the bed.

"You should go to sleep, you'll wake up without the headache - trust." Chloe pulled her head down and left a kiss in the chestnut nest as her hand began to draw random circles on the brunette's exposed arm - she was still only wearing her tee and boy shorts, the girl not even bothering to dress up as her entire morning was spent beside the toilet.

"I don't wanna." Max protested quietly and burrowed her face back into Chloe's chest, taking in a deep breath and smiling as she instantly recognised the scent of her girlfriend.

"Seriously, go to sleep." Chloe poked her free hand into the brunette's side as she squirmed quietly in return.

"No."

"Go. To. Sleep."

"No…-"

"Last chance." Chloe warned as her free hand gripped onto the brunettes side again, eliciting another playful squirm from the girl - Max quickly swatted away the hand with her own and held it down beside the two.

"I'm not going to sleep - you can't make me." Max stuck out her tongue and saw Chloe's expression change from feigned annoyance to instant mischief. _Uh oh._

"Is that _so?_ " Chloe spoke and with one instant movement she found herself straddling the girl below - her hands made quick work of the brunette's wrists as they pinned them down beside her. Max was trapped and she knew it.

"Chlo…-" Max whispered and saw the looming girl lean further down, her face resting a few inches from Max's as she kept her grin.

"You had your chance, now it's my turn to make you go to sleep." Chloe pressed her mouth against Max's cheek and nibbled on her skin playfully, the girl giggled quietly at the sensation as she moved around in her grip - unable to break free.

"Chloeee…" Max exclaimed quietly and writhed around in her girlfriends grip again, the constant nibbling against her cheek starting to tickle the girl - Max quickly turned her cheek away and bit playfully at Chloe's instead, eliciting a quiet growl in the process.

"I warned you about growling at _me_ girlfriend." Chloe moved her head away and stared down at Max, her azure blue eyes sending a piercing stare, the glassy orbs reflecting the girl just below. The brunette kept her smile and ignored the headache as best as she could, still suffering through it - the painkillers had already begun their work slowly but surely.

"...bite me." Max whispered quietly and felt her smile develop into a grin, her confidence once again spiking to newfound heights.

"My pleasure." Chloe simply replied and lowered her head further down, resting it in the nook of Max's neck as she began to work her magic. Max bit her lip and closed her eyes, constantly repressing her headache as best as she could, instead focusing herself on the touch of Chloe's lips working down her neck softly - occasionally feeling the bites that marked down conquered territory. The brunette felt the grip around her wrists relent slowly, the hands that once held her down now drifting to her sides as they slowly moved up and down sensually.

"Oww..-" Max's hand shot up to her temple as a fresh wave of pain seared through her head. Chloe quickly stopped and looked up slightly concerned, her eyebrow cocked as her hands stopped firmly on Max's sides.

"You okay?" Chloe asked quietly and saw the brunette nod as she pointed to her head.

"Headache, that's all." Max let out a quiet sigh of disappointment, wanting to mentally kick herself for the stupid headache interrupting them. "Ugh."

"Ain't no rest for the wicked Maximus." Chloe spoke quietly and heard Max nod. The punk moved her head back down again and blew a quiet raspberry on the brunette's skin, her actions inducing a loud giggle from the girl. "C'mon, let's get back to sleep."

"Mhm." Max watched as Chloe flopped off her and laid down on her side, her head propped up on her elbow as she looked at the brunette. Max immediately understood and also turned to her side with a smile, two strong hands already snaking around her as they pulled her in close. Their legs fought briefly for space before they tangled them together, finally smiling at the result as they kept quiet and watched each other through half-lidded eyes.

"I'm glad you're here with me..." Chloe left a soft kiss on Max's forehead as she lingered over the skin, looking over at the wall behind the girl - her focus on nothing as her mind travelled through her thoughts. "...and no, I won't ever stop saying that."

"Dork." Max smiled and nuzzled her face into Chloe's chest, closing her eyes and giving her girlfriend a squeeze with her hands.

A sudden silence fell upon the room as neither girl had wanted to speak. Minutes passed before Chloe finally heard the quiet snoring begin from underneath her, the grip on her sides slowly relenting as the brunette's arms relaxed. She smiled and closed her own eyes, falling into slumber only minutes later.

* * *

Chloe exhaled the smoke to her side, the bitter taste of her cigarette prevalent in her mouth. Her gaze rested at the parked truck sitting quietly in the middle of the parking lot, her head tilting upwards slightly as she looked up at the slightly clouded yet starry night sky. Her free hand ran through her hair as she investigated a few of the strands under the moonlight - her blue dye was beginning to wear off in earnest, her natural strawberry-blonde colour contrasting the electric blue.

"Time for a dye job..-" Chloe mumbled to herself and took another drag of her cigarette as her hand dropped back down.

Cars passed the motel quietly every few minutes as Chloe ran her eyes along each vehicle - she had managed to smoke through two cigarettes by the time she got bored. Her gaze rested on the metal barrier she was leaning against, her fingers tapping away to the beat of a random song - she began to hum along absentmindedly as she was lost in her thoughts yet again.

"Chlo…?" Max called out quietly as she left the motel room, staring at her girlfriend smoking a cigarette just a few feet away.

"Hm? Oh. Hi." Chloe looked back at Max and shot her a half-hearted smile, still slightly distracted. Her hand quickly extended towards the brunette and pulled her in close when she accepted it, snaking around her waist afterwards as the punk looked back over towards the road. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm." Max cooed and burrowed her face in Chloe's chest, ignoring the cold, stinging night wind that was quietly blowing around them. She took in a deep breath and immediately was hit with the smell of the cigarette being smoked by her girlfriend, her nose doing her best to banish familiar yet not so pleasant stench. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Just thinking." Chloe replied and looked down at her parked truck again, her hand running up and down Max's side to rub a bit of warmth into the girl - she was very aware that it was cold outside and the brunette was doing her best to ignore it.

"About what…?" Max asked and raised her eyebrow.

"I-... I dunno. Everything, I guess." Chloe took another drag of her cigarette and felt her heart rate drop steadily as she went over her thoughts. Neither of them even knew who survived Arcadia, who died, who was looking for them - they couldn't keep running, could they? Chloe felt a bit guilty at running away from it but didn't want to share her feelings with Max - after all, she did want to start from scratch. Then again, where would they even begin? They were both technically high-school dropouts, without any formal qualifications or diplomas - they refused to contact their families, friends or whoever else they had. They were completely alone in it all and Chloe had no idea how to start.

"Oh." Max simply replied and closed her eyes, her own guilt setting in as she went over their decision days before. Was it _really_ smart to just run away and pretend her entire life didn't happen? A chill ran down her spine as she quivered slightly - everything that happened in Arcadia would eventually catch up with them, no matter how hard they tried, and she knew that - it was inevitable and right now Max was only delaying it. Perhaps she should just face it head on, rather than constantly run and hide from something she wasn't exactly _guilty_ of.

"Max? Where…- Where do we even start?" Chloe looked up at the moon and felt the stars reflect off her eyes as she gazed in wonder. "We're high-school dropouts travelling across the states with dwindling funds, no formal education or anything - s-shit. If we do get jobs then I don't even know how to do taxes. _Taxes!_ "

"I don't think anyone knows how to do taxes." Max tried to lighten the mood and instantly heard Chloe giggle and nod.

"I guess that's true." Chloe finished her third cigarette and threw the butt over the railing, watching the lit embers flicker away as it fell down and hit the concrete below. Max felt her heart quietly thumping away at her chest as the guilt kept creeping in around her.

"Do-... Do you regret it? Wanting to start anew?" Max bluntly asked and forcefully shut her eyes as silence befell the couple.

"I-..." Chloe began but felt her own voice get lost in the back of her throat. She couldn't lie about this. "Y-Yeah."

"M-Me too." Max simply replied and gripped onto Chloe.

"Well." Chloe looked back down at her truck and felt yet another weight fall of her shoulders at Max's confession - both of them regretted their decision. "I guess that blows our plans, huh?"

"Mhm." Max smiled as she hummed back at the punk girl holding her close. "I guess it does."

"We didn't even last a week." Chloe pointed out and laughed as Max joined in with her moments later.

"I don't even know…- I seriously don't know what we were thinking." Max admitted and looked up at the night sky, going over each individual star slowly. "I'm not going to lie when I say I thought it'd be like a movie. We're not movie material it seems."

"Definitely not." Chloe agreed and joined her girlfriend in the stargazing, her heart resuming its normal beat.

"Two high-school dropouts on the run from their past, crazy in love and half-broke - both feeling the guilt of things they didn't even do." Max joked again and squeezed Chloe, letting out a content sigh. "Works well in a movie, not so much in reality."

"Something, something, infinite money in movies, life experience to the brim, something, something." Chloe mumbled and instantly heard Max giggle in return. "Also, how the hell do high-school dropouts know how to do taxes?"

"Voodoo." Max pulled up one of her hands and wiggled her fingers around.

"So we're in agreement then…?" Chloe looked down at Max and heard her nod quietly, the brunette looking up with a smile.

"Yeah." Max stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Chloe on the lips. "Lets…- Let's go to Seattle - I wanna see mom and dad again."

"I wanna see them after 5 years too." Chloe pointed out and smiled to herself. "O-Oh… shit."

"What?" Max raised her eyebrow quickly as she saw Chloe's face change to an expression of concern.

"Uhm…- what will your parents s-say about us…?" Chloe didn't even think about it - they've been running for the past week, away from their old lives, so concerns about parental approval were non-existent until now.

"Dad will chase you off with a shotgun or something for taking his innocent daughters virginity." Max joked and laughed out loud the moment she saw Chloe's face drain of all colour. "I'm kidding. To be honest I don't think they'll care. Mom will be slightly confused - she always pushed me to go out more and chat up boys. Might be a bit of a shock but she'll come around."

"Right." Chloe sighed and looked back down at her parked truck. "So I guess we're blowing this joint?"

"I don't see the need to wait, yeah." Max nodded and looked down at the truck also, her eyes lingering over the rust bucket that had carried them so far yet so close to home.

"I can get us there by tomorrow, probably mid-afternoon." Chloe let her mind work on the rough distance between Spokane and Seattle, calculations whirring around as her face was scrunched up in concentration. "That's provided we leave in the next hour or so - we slept the entire day away, I'm not tired at all so…"

"Sounds good." Max nodded in approval and stood on her tiptoes again, giving Chloe a kiss on her cheek in appreciation. "Thank you."

"For what?" Chloe raised her eyebrow and saw Max smile wide in return.

"For telling the truth - I'd hate to have even more shit piled on top of you because of what _I_ wanted." Max jabbed her finger softly into Chloe's abdomen and heard her nod slowly.

"Max, what you want is what I want, let's just get that straight - m'kay?" Chloe shook the brunette slightly to carry her point across. "If you _really_ wanted to start over like you said then I'd be behind you all the way."

"Chloe…" Max began but was quickly silenced by the finger being placed against her lips.

"Shush. I-... I don't have a-anyone left, okay? You're my everything right now so I have to hold onto you." Chloe confessed quietly and looked down at Max, her eyes fighting back the trace of tears working up.

"Y-You don't know that. Neither of us do - we d-don't know anything about A-Arcadia or… the survivors a-and… and…" Max spoke but slowed her speech, stopping mid-sentence as she realised that their backtracking would lead them straight back to the reality of what happened to Arcadia. "W-Well. You know."

"I guess…-" Chloe replied but didn't hold hope for herself - there was absolutely no way that people would've survived the storm that swept through Arcadia. _No way._

"We should probably g-grab our stuff, get going." Max moved away from the embrace the two girls held for so long. Chloe nodded and quickly followed her girlfriend back into their motel room.

Minutes passed in relative silence as the two girls went about packing up whatever they took from the truck. Before long they were finally ready as Max made her way to the Ford F150, Chloe tagging along just behind with their bags - leaving the two things in the truck bed. The punk gave the hipster a quick kiss and jogged over to the motel reception, handing in their keys and paying extra for leaving overnight - she didn't give it much thought as they no longer needed to worry about money. She smiled to herself as she walked back through the parking lot towards the truck, her thoughts wandering over the fact that they were going to be heading towards a place that both of them could remotely call home - Max more so than Chloe.

"Alright, you ready?" Chloe spoke as with one motion she turned the ignition and heard the engine rumble to life seconds later.

"Yeah…-" Max replied and immediately looked out the window, watching the parking lot quickly fade away and turn into the road from which they came from.

"Soo…- I guess we gotta discuss some things...?" Chloe spoke quietly as she tapped her hand away at the wheel, waiting patiently for the traffic lights to turn green.

"Uhm. A-About what?" Max raised her eyebrow and looked over towards Chloe, her hand drifting towards the punk's resting on top the clutch stick.

"A-Arcadia and… stuff." Chloe felt like an asshole bringing up this topic so suddenly but she needed to talk to Max before they arrived in Seattle and learned the truth.

"Is this r-really a conversation for the road…?" Max pointed out and felt a bit anxious talking about the topic.

"Max - we have to figure this shit out, okay?" Chloe raised her voice slightly, a mask of concern hanging over the angered tone - she saw Max wince slightly and she immediately regretted it. "Sorry."

"It's f-fine. What do you want to talk about then?" Max ignored the vice tightening around her heart, the guilt of her choice coming back to haunt her for the millionth time - it was getting easier each time.

"S-Survivors…- Uhm. M-Mom a-and… David." Chloe pressed down on the pedal and jolted the truck forward past the intersection, her own heart being pricked with needles of pain. "I need…- Ugh. Can you promise me something?"

"Always."

"Don't give up on me. I-... If worst comes to worst, I'm going to be really, _really_ rough - okay?" Chloe spoke slowly and kept her hand on the wheel, her other intertwining fingers with her girlfriend for comfort. "If M-Mom is…- y'know. Then I don't think I'll be able to c-cope for sometime. Y-You're my rock right now so I'll n-need you."

"I would never, Chlo. No matter what happens I'll be there with you. Mom and Dad will h-help _us_ \- not just me." Max brought up Chloe's hand to her lips and gave it a kiss of reassurance, the gesture visibly relaxing her girlfriend almost immediately.

"Thanks." Chloe replied and let out a half-hearted smile, slowing the truck back down at another intersection - she felt the slow crawl of her tears on her cheeks but she ignored it. She knew that reality was going to kick in soon and it was going to kick in hard. _Whatever, I've dealt with this shit before without Max - she'll… she'll be there this time,_ Chloe thought and held her smile as she watched the quiet street ahead.

"I'm scared." Max revealed and dropped her head, her eyes running over her slightly worn sneakers.

"I know." Chloe knew exactly what her girlfriend was talking about. They were heading straight back into the proverbial storm - the aftermath of Arcadia. Things were going to get rough, Chloe knew that, but she also knew that Max was strong. They could deal with this.

"I'm g-glad we had this small road trip. I just wish it lasted forever…-" Max continued and felt her hand being squeezed rather fast, the gesture sending jolts through her nerves - her body relaxed ever so slightly. "I d-don't want to run anymore though. It would only be worse once it caught up…- right?"

"Mhm." Chloe hummed along to her girlfriends question and kept her gaze on the road, her foot applying pressure to the pedal slightly - the light turning orange seconds later as the truck moved forward.

Chloe switched her gaze over at Max - the brunette was already staring back with a newfound look on her face. _Hope._ She smiled wide and once again squeezed her hand, the simple expression passing around all the feelings that didn't need to be said. Just as quickly as she felt it all wash over her, she felt it drained almost immediately as her heart stopped - her eyes resting on the window just behind Max's smiling face. The punk slammed the pedal almost immediately in reaction.

The Ford F150 violently thrust to the side as the black SUV slammed into the bed, narrowly missing the cabin due to Chloe's quick thinking seconds ago. The rusty truck found itself spinning almost immediately in a 180 degree turn, the back end slamming into the side of a building next to the intersection - the speeding black SUV providing enough momentum for all of it to happen. Chloe heard the smashing glass, the crumpling of metal, screeching of tires, yelps and shouts, screams - her vision became blurred as her own head smashed against the steering wheel moments after impact.

Her head rested painfully on the wheel, turned to the side as her azure eyes looked over the crumpled brunette in her seat. Her stomach turned and lurched inside as she saw the crimson streak making its way down the girls face, originating above her forehead.

" _M-Max…?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliche ending is cliche?
> 
> By god, I had so many ideas on how to end this arc - I won't lie when I say that I rewrote this chapter a million times.
> 
> Max and Chloe backtracking on their idea of starting over was originally a no-no - I was going to take them as far as Colorado before Arc 2 kicked in but decided against it in the end, I had to think about the reality of their situation and their characters. Would Max really want to run away from her old life? She was a shy, introverted hipster geek who loved her parents from all the evidence given in the game, so therefore running away forever wasn't really an option unless Chloe really, really pushed that idea - which in the end she didn't because she was too focused on doing what Max wanted, mostly due to guilt of the October week being her fault with her constant deaths and all.
> 
> Would they really be able to start a new life together without help? Sure they had the handicap money but that was going to run low really quick if they continued their road trip - there was also the fact that neither of them had finished high-school, had no formal qualifications and they likely had no idea how taxes, renting etc worked. I can't really comment too much on this part as there isn't any real evidence pointing to this fact in-game, but that's how I decided it'll be in this fic.
> 
> \- :) WinTTY


	13. The Good Life

Perhaps it was karma, or bad luck, or just Chloe's inattention moments before impact. She didn't know in all honesty and she didn't really care much for explanations. All she knew is that it was her damn fault for what happened - _somehow_ \- it was her that fucked up in the end. She knew it. She refused all other reasonable excuses, all other attempts at trying to justify what happened - Chloe was guilty and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hmph." Chloe blew out the smoke slowly, forming a cloud around her - the aroma of the weed giving her a light, happy buzz that she so needed right now. Her gaze rested on the plain ceiling of her room above, her vision blurred slightly through the hazy smoke lingering around her. Her free hand drifted down from her chest as it patted around the covers under her, looking for her phone - moments later she brought it up after unlocking it halfway towards her face. **11:34AM.**

After a moment of hesitation she dropped the phone back down and ran her hands under her eyes, clearing the stray tears that had been shed since she waked and baked. With a quiet sniffle she finally hoisted herself off the bed and took another drag of her haphazardly rolled joint, looking over the thing in between her fingers. Her eyes went over the burning embers as she ignored the sting in her eyes from the smoke - she blew out some more of the hazy cloud and took her last drag almost immediately, quickly stubbing the remainder on the small ashtray placed on the desk in the corner of the room.

She put her hands on her exposed hips and looked over the mess she was standing in. Dirty clothes, cigarette packets and empty bottles littered the corners of the small room - a mattress that rested low on the floor as it was placed against a blank wall, a desk and chair in one corner with a few of her personal things on top. Books, Polaroid pictures, stacks of papers, forms - everything was there. She slowly wandered over to a small closet and opened it wide, rummaging around for a new set of clothes for today - a black _Metallica_ tank-top, ripped jeans with suspenders and a snapback. Her fingers ran along the rim of the hat as she looked it over - it was the same one she had bought with Max. She bit her lip and put it on quickly, covering her freshly dyed electric blue strands.

Moments later she was already closing her door behind her, walking down the stairs of her new house. Well. Not _hers_.

"Hon?" A familiar southern voice sounded out from the living room across the small hallway.

"Yeah, it's me." Chloe called back out and waltzed into the kitchen, her hand on her rumbling stomach.

"I thought you were supposed to be working today?" Joyce walked into the kitchen behind her daughter - her hand supporting herself as she walked with a slight limp. Chloe turned around and watched over her mother - a survivor of Arcadia Bay and the superstorm which swept the town away.

"Uh, I took a day off." Chloe admitted and ran her hand over the back of her neck awkwardly. "Still…- Still dealing with things."

"I understand hon." Joyce limped forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into an impromptu hug that the punk happily accepted.

"H-How's the leg?" Chloe asked as she moved away, looking down towards her mother's legs.

"Still mending." Joyce heard her daughter's stomach rumble again as she chuckled. "Breakfast?"

"I'll make it myself, it's okay-..." Chloe began but was dismissed quickly by her mother, the woman limping over towards the fridge and taking out ingredients in the space of seconds.

"I may be injured but I'm not useless." Joyce called out with a smile and was quickly met with a frown from Chloe.

"I didn't say you were useless." Chloe spoke up and saw her mother nod in return. "I j-just don't want you straining yourself for something so simple…-"

"It's nothing dear. Now you sit yourself down and tell me what's bugging you, stat." Joyce began to break the eggs onto the pan, setting the heat as she periodically shot a glance at Chloe. The punk sat herself down on a stool behind the island separating the kitchen and living room. "Is it Max again?"

"...yeah." Chloe nodded and dropped her head into her hands with a sigh.

"Have the doctors said anything…?" Joyce inquired and gazed over at the bluenette sitting quietly a few feet away.

"Just the usual medical babble and shit..-" Chloe saw her mother scowl slightly at her language but she soldiered on. "T-They still don't know anything solid."

"Ryan and Vanessa?" Joyce continued working on the breakfast as she spoke, hearing her daughter shuffle uncomfortably in her seat.

"Uh..- O-Only Ryan. Vanessa still refuses to speak with me." Chloe dropped her head down further and looked at the linoleum countertop of the island. "S-She tried to get me removed from the list. _Again._ "

"Ryan stopped her I'm guessing?" Joyce looked back at Chloe and saw her nod quietly. Her own heart was pained when she noticed how _defeated_ her daughter looked at the moment.

"He's the only one who even manages to hold a civilised conversation with me about this, except for you and stepdo-... David. Even then I know that it pains him to speak with the person responsible for that…- that f-fucking crash!" Chloe slammed her palm down onto the counter and sniffled quietly in anger.

"Chloe, hon, it _isn't_ your fault - you _weren't_ the one going over a red light, speeding over the limit at a busy intersection." Joyce raised up a spatula she was using to cut through the eggs, pointing it towards Chloe. "Max wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"I-... I guess." Chloe hesitantly nodded in agreement. Joyce was right - Max wouldn't want her to blame herself for causing the crash, just like Chloe didn't want Max to blame herself for causing the storm or causing the destruction of Arcadia Bay. She did it anyway.

"You've still yet to tell me what exactly happened during this 'road trip' of yours…-" Joyce started on the bacon as she looked over at Chloe again with a slight smirk.

"Maybe one day." Chloe ended the conversation rather quickly, not wanting things to get awkward. Chloe hadn't yet revealed the full extent of her relationship with Max to anyone - she didn't know whether or not the brunette wanted to reveal it together or _at all._

Joyce looked over at Chloe and raised her eyebrow, watching the punk quietly twiddle her thumbs awkwardly as she further confirmed her suspicions. She quietly chuckled and resumed making breakfast for her daughter, the silence that befell the kitchen was very reminiscent of their old house in Arcadia Bay. But that was gone, along with everything else in the town. A few minutes later the front door to the house opened with a loud click and it was promptly shut with some force. Joyce turned around and saw her husband, David, walking into the house in his security guard uniform - bags under his eyes as he was obviously tired after his night shift.

"How was work today?" Joyce spoke up as she limped towards her husband, giving him a kiss on his cheek and a quick hug.

"Alright." David grunted back as a yawn escaped his mouth - his eyes focused on the bluenette punk sitting quietly behind the kitchen island.

"Hey." Chloe threw up on hand absentmindedly as she felt the stare she was getting from her stepfather. Whilst she still wasn't on the best terms with him the relations between them had definitely improved - Chloe acknowledged the fact that David not only rescued Max during an alternate timeline, but he also busted Jefferson and rescued Joyce from the diner before FEMA arrived in Arcadia. She couldn't hold a grudge anymore, but she still didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her appreciation - she had street cred to hold up. _Maybe one day._

"How're holding up?" David asked quietly as he stood in front of the kitchen island, seeing Joyce out of the corner of his eye shooting him a slightly concerned look. She was appreciative that he had softened up on Chloe since she came back after her accident. Chloe grumbled under her breath and let out a loud sigh.

"Been better." Chloe replied and resumed drawing random shapes with her finger on the countertop. David understood almost immediately and stepped away, knowing the his stepdaughter needed some time to recover from everything that happened - they all needed it.

Chloe's nose picked up the aroma of the bacon and eggs being finished, the sizzling of the pans just a few feet away being the confirmation. She looked up with a weak smile and saw her mother approaching with a plate loaded to the brim, setting it down shortly in front of her as Chloe did her best not to drool. No matter how shitty the situation was, no matter what happened - Joyce's cooking _always_ brought a smile to Chloe's face. The punk wasted no time in digging into her food as she ignored the obvious stare she was receiving from both Joyce and David, both of them more than likely holding concerned gazes that she had been used to for some time now.

"We'll be in the living room if you need anything else hon." Joyce spoke softly and saw her daughter nod. She quickly ushered David out of the kitchen and back down the hallway towards the living room of their new house. Chloe ate quietly as the silence in the kitchen was occasionally broken up by the clatter of her fork and knife against the plate, the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall just up ahead being like a metronome to her thoughts - occasionally she caught snippets of the TV or conversation from the living room.

She ate in silence for a few minutes before she finally finished, her stomach more than happy at the contents it had received. Chloe put her plate away quietly and wasted no time in making her way back up to her room, slamming her door a bit too loudly behind her - she had hoped that it wouldn't betray how she was feeling right now. She approached her mattress and flopped down on top lazily as her hand fished in her pockets for her phone, taking it out and almost immediately navigating to her messaging app.

**James:** chloe can you take darren's shift on sunday 9am?

**James:** called in sick today, i've already got him covered for tomorrow but i need somebody for sunday

"Whatever." Chloe mumbled to herself, typing out a short message - a quiet sigh echoed around the room as she looked over the response she sent.

**Chloe:** sure can do boss

She locked her phone afterwards and threw it down on the mattress under her, closing her eyes in hopes of falling into deep slumber. A groan escaped her mouth after she realised she had already slept most the night and morning away - there was no way that she'd be able to get more shut eye at this point. What sucked even more is that she couldn't go to American Rust - it was nonexistent and there was too many bad memories now associated with that place even if it _did_ exist. There was also the obvious issue of transport - her truck was scrapped after the accident so she had no way of moving about. This further added to the pile of things that sucked - she couldn't even go for a drive to relax. Not that she wanted to anymore, not after she was _sure_ that she caused the accident which landed both her and Max in hospital - she couldn't trust herself behind the wheel of anything right now.

The punk stood up after a few more minutes of absently laying down, walking over to the small bookcase beside her desk - her hands moved over an old hifi she bought, playing around with the dials, turning the stereo on and lowering the volume to acceptable levels. Chloe heard the beginnings of a song hum out quietly as she stood still, listening to lyrics for a minute or so before she decided to actually focus on what was being sang.

**_** ...Excuse the bitching_ **   
**_I shouldn't complain_ **   
**_I should have no feeling_ **   
**_Cos feeling is pain_ **   
**_As everything I need_ **   
**_Is denied me_ **   
**_And everything I want_ **   
**_Is taken away from me_ **   
**_But who do I got to blame?_ **   
**_Nobody but me... **_ **

"Wow, talk about wallowing in self-pity, Price." Chloe chuckled to herself as she heard the lyrics, deciding to walk over to her desk to grab the rest of her joint she had smoked earlier in the morning. She quickly lit up and took a drag of the half-smoked joint, immediately feeling the tingle of the smoke in her throat and mouth, the buzz it was giving off once again providing comfort. She exhaled quietly and opened up her window, not wanting to stink up the place now that David was back home - he was still very much against Chloe smoking, drinking or doing anything remotely _her._

It didn't take long for Chloe's final joint to run out - she still relished the last few puffs of the smoke she exhaled, the welcoming aroma of the marijuana that she had been a regular user of for the past four years. No matter how shitty she felt, how bad things got or just generally how fucked everything became - the weed _always_ managed to calm her down. She threw the roach into her ashtray and left the window open for a few more minutes, occasionally wafting away the lingering smell left in her room.

Her head turned towards her bed when she heard the muffled vibration of her phone, the indication that she received another text. Her eyes quickly shot back towards the window as she noticed the sun was already starting to cross it's high point in the sky - she scrambled forward towards her mattress and grabbed her phone.

**Ryan:** Chloe you're free to come by now, me and Vanessa just left.

Chloe smiled to herself and jumped up back from the bed, pocketing her phone almost immediately and looking around for her jacket. Her hands shot forward as she frantically pulled her trusty, worn leather jacket over her tank top and rushed out of her room - her feet slamming away at the stairs in a hurry.

"Chloe-...?" Joyce called out as she stared at the bluenette rushing down the stairs and into the hallway. Her eyebrows raised quickly but fell back down in short time - she saw the punk shoot her a smile, wave her goodbye and slam the door behind her.

Public transportation sucked - especially in Seattle during the midday. Chloe never once complained however - she was annoyed, sure, but she never once minded being slightly late, slightly early or just on time. It allowed her to get lost in her thoughts, in happier memories and in generally enabled her to forget her shitty week and the stress of work. Her head rested against the glass of the bus as her eyes lingered over the dominating Seattle skyline, the Space Needle peeking out near the corner of it all. She smiled and heard the conversations around her, all of them a blur as she didn't particularly want to focus on anything - she saw and heard far too many people to even care at this point. Living in a city was different than a small town like Arcadia Bay - in a town people generally knew each other, people were friendlier as tighter bonds in the community were made. Cities aren't like that at all - hundreds of thousands of people commuting everyday, each one of them with their own problems and lives to live. Why should anyone care about each other, care about the random person they met on the bus or on the street today when the chances that they'll ever meet them again are slim at best?

After nearly an agonising half-hour ride towards Harborview, Chloe had finally made it. She had a certain spring to her step that only ever appeared on visiting days. Despite everything that'd had happened and kept happening, the punk always kept her head up at the fact that in the end she'd always be able to see her girlfriend - even after complications during the first few times, the shouting matches between her and Vanessa Caulfield. Her eyes drifted up to the old building just ahead as they lingered over one window in particular, the thing becoming almost familiar at this point after the amount of times she had seen it already. She pulled down her snapback slightly as the sun shone distracting rays into her eyes, her pace picking up as she was giddy with excitement.

Chloe found herself at the front desk of the hospital minutes later, her hand slowly moving over the wood as she waited for a receptionist. Moments later her prayers were answered as a short, middle-aged blonde came around the corner with a contagious smile on her face - Chloe couldn't help but shoot a smile back.

"Hi! Are you here for a visit?" The blonde woman asked and kept her smile as she saw the punk in front nod immediately.

"Yes - Room 134."

"Maxine…-"

"...Caulfield, yeah. Also, it's Max - never Maxine." Chloe corrected the nurse and heard her chuckle quietly.

"...and you are?"

"Chloe Price." Chloe tapped her fingers away on the desk impatiently, looking around the sterile white hallways. Her stomach churned slightly as she finally caught the whiff of the overly clean walls and floors - it was slightly sickening but she had to tough it out for a few minutes more.

"Mhm…- Everything seems to be in order, you can reach the room by-"

"Heading down the hallway, double door on the right - elevator to the third floor. I know, thanks." Chloe once again interrupted the nurse and quickly began her walk away, the sound of quiet laughter echoing behind her.

Her hands trembled in her pockets as she did her best it ignore it. She stretched her neck slightly and looked around the empty lift she was standing in, the quiet music playing around - it wasn't as relaxing to her as it was meant to be. Instead Chloe had found the elevator music an annoyance - the same five chords repeated over and over and over and over and over in an attempt to make the place seem happy. Hospitals weren't happy - not to Chloe anyway. Seconds passed quietly as the time stretched out over hours in the punk's head - the last few steps towards Max's room, the last few obstacles had always seemed to last _forever_ in her head. She strode along the sterile halls, passing rooms that were either occupied or empty, passing families and children waiting outside - she reached the end of the final hallway and let out a sigh.

Quickly she regretted it all - the reality suddenly sunk in as her smile faded and her shoulders drooped down. She blankly held her gaze on the small plaque neatly placed on the door - Room 134. Chloe felt as her heartbeat began to slow down, the giddiness and happiness she had been filled with on the way to the hospital suddenly draining all at once. She wasn't going to really see _Max_ \- only an unconscious body of the girl that she was in love with. Saliva travelled down her throat as she gulped quietly and took the last step forward, opening the door and closing it behind her quietly for no reason - Max couldn't hear her anyway.

Azure blue eyes rested on the limp, unconscious form lying on the hospital bed near the middle of the room. The brunette hair had slightly grown out, the strands now resting just beyond her neck - the freckled face held a peaceful expression with the eyes closed softly, hands beside her whilst various tubes and needles were connected here or there. _God, if only she knew how many damn needles they stuck into her_ , Chloe thought and felt her heart sink into unknown depths as she looked over her girlfriend. Her legs carried her across the room slowly and sat her down in a chair beside the bed - her gaze never leaving the girl.

"H-Hi." Chloe immediately felt her voice quaver with the simple word - both her hands travelled down to cup Max's limp one, bringing to up to her mouth as she left a kiss on it. Her lips on the skin was yet another call back to reality, the once warm and tender hand finding itself cold and hard against the soft touch of Chloe's lips.

In that instant Chloe felt the prick of the tears already forcing themselves out of her eyes, travelling down her cheeks and following her contours down to her chin.

"I'm sorry." Chloe closed her eyes and sniffled as she held onto Max's hand like it was her lifeline. "I'm so, _so_ s-sorry."

A sob escaped her lips moments later, quickly descending into a quiet stream of tears and cries that she had grown accustomed to. With each sound she made, each hitch of her breath she squeezed the hand in her own harder - hoping, _hoping_ that it would finally squeeze back.

"I miss you." Chloe continued through her quiet tears and occasional sobs.

She sat there for minutes, crying with her heartache, one that longed for Max to come back to her. She sniffled as her thoughts once again travelled over the things she'd been thinking about for the past few days - life, the universe, was _really_ out to get her. Why couldn't she just finally receive some kind of happiness, some kind of compensation for all the pain and all the shit she had to wade through for the past 5 years? First William, then Rachel and now Max - everyone she loved was taken from her eventually and she had to come to terms with that at this point. People say that when your loved one dies or is lost, a piece of your soul gets ripped away - in this case, Chloe's soul must've resembled swiss cheese. It was _definitely_ having an impact on her.

"Oh! Hello Ms. Price."

Chloe was snapped out of her state when she heard the male voice behind her, the sound of the door being closed quickly afterwards. Her head turned to her side as she caught Max's doctor, Garrett Duncan, out of the corner of her eye.

"H-Hey." Chloe sniffled loudly and ran her hand under her nose quickly, trying to wipe away the tears afterwards before making its way back to Max's hand.

"Everything is fine with you, I hope?" Garrett spoke as he approached the foot of the hospital bed with a clipboard in his hand, his pen drifting across the paper as he was marking something down and making notes.

"As fine as can be given the c-cicumstances." Chloe looked back towards Max but held back the tears this time, not wanting to cry when in the presence of somebody else.

"I-..." Garrett began as he looked up from his clipboard but stopped shortly. Chloe Price was a special specimen in his case - he had yet to see somebody be so emotionally attached towards another person as she was to his patient. He didn't think too much into it and attributed the behaviour to a possibly troubled childhood.

"H-How is she…?" Chloe asked quietly as she did her best to ignore the shuffling of papers beside her as Garrett checked over the recent medical tests.

"Still no change - sorry." Garrett let out a quiet sigh to himself, hoping that Chloe didn't catch onto him.

"Ugh." Chloe closed her eyes and dropped her head against Max's hand that she still held onto, her own hands slightly trembling as the news wasn't really news to her - it was more so a confirmation of what she had been living through since the accident.

"A coma can last anywhere between a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, a few months or..- a few years." Garrett coughed at the end of his sentence as he saw Chloe visibly change her posture. "It's just unfortunate that Max here is yet to wake up from her's. She did suffer a particularly nasty hit during the accident - it's possible her brain is simply resting until it's ready."

"Four months, doc. Four fu-... Four months." Chloe broke a little and let out a quiet sob as she squeezed Max's hand again.

"I know." Garrett nodded and went over the last few blanks on his form, noting down the date - **Friday, February 7th, 2014.** He looked down at the punk sitting quietly and took a few steps towards her, dropping his hand onto her shoulder and giving her a reassuring squeeze. "In times like these it's good to keep hope going."

"Mhm." Chloe hummed back and felt the hand on her shoulder momentarily retract back.

"Talking helps, perhaps you'd like-"

"No." Chloe spoke back instantly as she knew exactly what the doctor wanted to suggest - she wasn't interested in talking to a shrink. "I'm fine."

"Alright." Garrett brought the pen back to his clipboard and signed off on the form, walking back to the foot of the bed and hanging it up in its place. As he walked back towards the door he stopped and looked back at the girl holding onto his patient's hand, her own trembling in their grip. "Perhaps you should talk to _her_ instead."

With that, Garrett left the room.

Chloe sat in the silence left behind, the piercing beeping of the EKG monitor periodically registering Max's heartbeat as it was the only sound that had separated Chloe from a complete breakdown.

"Perhaps I should." Chloe replied quietly to the no longer present doctor, once again sniffling and running a hand under her nose. Her eyes looked over at her hands and saw them still shaking from the nerves and emotions that constantly pulsed through her with each heartbeat. She needed to calm down for a second, think about some things without the constant stench of the bleached, sterile halls of the hospital.

She left a kiss on Max's hand and placed it gently back down beside her, getting up from her chair and pulling up her torn jeans slightly. The door shut quietly behind her as she wasted no time in walking back down the hallway, her hand running over her cigarette packet and zippo that rested in her pocket. Minutes later she had finally found herself standing outside of Harborview, hearing the occasional whine of sirens speeding to and fro the hospital.

The cigarette loosely hung in her lips as she took a drag and exhaled the smoke, the residual tart taste that she was so used to hanging in her mouth. She saw a few people walking in and out of the hospital building, a few shooting her almost disgusted glances as they were obviously pointing out the fact she was smoking outside a medical institution. Her hands slowly began to calm down, no longer shaking with the nerves that had occupied her mind the entire time - each drag of her cigarette further helped her return to a 'normal' state.

What the hell would she tell her? That she's responsible for the accident that threw her into a coma? That she misses her everyday, that she struggles to get by even with Joyce and David's support? Well, those were obvious candidates but…- it didn't feel _right_. It didn't feel right talking to somebody who isn't listening - Chloe didn't believe any of that medical talk that doctors give to patient's close ones and relatives, that people in a coma can hear you but they just can't respond. Nu-uh, that didn't fly in Chloe's books. Whatever - she had to try. God knows it might help her just a bit.

Minutes later Chloe had found herself back in Max's room, the fresh air and the cigarette helping her calm down before the 'talk' she was going to have with Max. She sat down in the chair quietly and brought up Max's limp hand to her lips again, leaving a kiss on the skin as she held her mouth there. Tears had once again begun to leak out of the corners of her eyes - it was inevitable at this point.

"S-So..- Hey. I s-sure hope you're listening because I'm g-going to absolutely chew your ear off. Heh." Chloe chuckled quietly and sniffled. "I-... I don't know where to start to be honest. I guess I'll get the bad news out first, huh? Arcadia-.. It's all gone. FEMA declared the town destroyed only days after we-... we l-left."

Chloe ran her hands over her eyes and held them there for a second, rubbing her eyelids as she did her best to not break down completely.

"N-Not everyone d-died. Uhm…- Joyce and David are f-fine. We live in S-Seattle now, so that's hella cool I guess. Government d-did a lot of work to help survivors, grants and medical help - all that s-shit, y'know?" Her hands began to tremble again as she squeezed Max's limp hand in her own. "B-Blackwell was _mostly_ left standing b-but…- A dozen or so students g-got caught in the t-town a-and…- well."

Her heart was caught in a tight vice as she steeled herself for the next part, knowing that tears would surely come.

"W-Warren, Alyssa, Evan, B-Brooke a-and…-" Chloe let out a sob but quickly recovered herself, wanting to continue on to let all of it off her chest. "J-Justin and Trevor. T-They d-didn't..-"

_They're dead._

"F-Fuck..- It was s-so fucked up g-going to their funerals..- I k-knew a few of them." Chloe let the tears fall steadily now, not bothering to wipe them away or to calm herself down. She needed to vent right now. "It s-sucked."

She sat in silence for a few minutes, letting herself cry quietly beside the _nearly_ lifeless brunette - had the EKG monitor not kept at it's task then Chloe would almost definitely believe that Max _wasn't_ alive. Her own breathing was shallow, her heart beating slowly as it did it's best to constantly keep her blood pumping - Chloe let out another half-sigh and half-sob as she kissed Max's hand.

"G-God, this is fucking h-hard." Chloe whispered and closed her eyes, rocking back and forth slowly. "K-Kate…"

Her breath hitched slightly as she exhaled.

"She's alive. T-Thank fuck…-" Chloe opened her eyes again and saw Max's peaceful expression still very much present. "I-It's really f-fucked up t-though..- Her l-legs..- Ugh. Her legs were crushed a-after a part of the hospital c-collapsed."

_At least she's still alive._

"Kate's been _so_ s-strong through it all, always smiling e-even with all the s-shit they told her. D-Doctor's say that with y-years of therapy _m-maybe_ she'll walk again." Chloe looked over at the half-open window in the room, the downtown Seattle skyline clearly visible around the hospital. "She's been v-visiting you weekly, just like me - I c-can see why you became f-friends so fast."

Chloe's grip tightened slightly as she thought over her next few words, her teeth clenched in anger and disgust.

"T-That freak, Jeffershit…- D-David caught h-him with Victoria in t-the bunker, r-right before that p-prick nearly got rid of her too." Chloe looked at the blank TV hung up in the corner of the room, remembering the day she watched Jefferson sentenced on live TV. "He g-got life without parole, some federal p-prison near Mexico."

_Good._

"N-Nathan was f-found totally drugged up in s-some warehouse outside of A-Arcadia, one of Jeffershit's properties or something. He w-was sent off to s-some private mental institution in d-deep Oregon. Dunno, don't care." Chloe felt the slight anger rising up inside her as she remember that Nathan was responsible for Rachel's death. "D-Daddy Prescott pulled strings, lo-and-behold - N-Nathan had charges dropped against him. F-Fucking rich pricks."

One of Chloe's hands drifted over to the nightstand beside the hospital bed, going over the dozens of cards and other items that had been stacked up over the past four months - her eyes were locked on a particularly fancy card. She pulled it out of the pile and swore under her breath when a few extra's fell off the small surface, scrambling down to grab them and place them back in their pile.

"H-Here." Chloe opened up the card filled with fancy cursive writing, her face holding a weak smile as she looked it over. "W-Who would've thought Bit-... Victoria w-would send you a card?"

_W-What?_

"She even came over a f-few weeks ago too…- We didn't t-talk much." Chloe admitted and put the card back down, her gaze resting on the paper for a few seconds before resuming their focus on Max. "I-I left the two of you a-alone. She must've c-cried or something, looked like a b-bad clown when she c-came out of your room at the end, makeup _ruined_."

She giggled quietly and remember the scene that played out only a week or so after Christmas. While Chloe and Victoria _definitely_ didn't see eye-to-eye when they were both in Blackwell, the punk appreciated the fact that even the queen bee stooped off her pedestal to visit Max. Perhaps whatever happened to her during that one week in October changed her too.

"R-Ryan and Vanessa miss you. They s-spend whatever f-freetime they have with you, y'know?" Chloe smiled and kissed Max's hand again, her thumbs rubbing some heat into the otherwise cold skin. "V-Vanessa…- Uhm. I d-don't know - she didn't take w-what happened to you well. _At all._ "

Chloe bit her lip and looked over at the door to the room, remembering the first day they had arrived in Seattle - Vanessa was staunchly against letting the punk inside Max's room. In the end Ryan made her relent her defence, much to her dismay, but she sure as hell made every effort possible to prevent Chloe from visiting Max afterwards.

"S-She's _super_ pissed with me. We h-had a ten minute long shouting m-match outside your r-room after you were t-transferred. D-Damn is your m-mon defensive." Chloe smiled and looked over Max again, scooching closer with her chair. "She t-tried to have me removed from your visitor list - t-that was another fun argument. She-... She blames me for the crash - as she should. I-It was my d-damn f-fault..- I-..."

Her quiet sobs followed up immediately afterwards, echoing around the silent room once again.

_Don't blame yourself._

"F-Fuck Max. This is _all_ so f-fucked up, isn't it?" Chloe chuckled to herself and sniffled loudly.

_Yeah._

"Well…- There's a silver l-lining at least, y'know? I finished my GED a-and I'm working p-part time at a small joint in downtown Seattle. I'm a-already saving money f-for the future, who would've t-thought...-" Chloe smiled and leaned over towards Max's chest, placing her head down softly and listening to the quiet beating of Max's heart. "It a-ain't the best but it's something, right? F-Figured that I'd be a good waitress, taking after m-mom and all."

_I bet you are._

"I've been writing s-stupid shit in my freetime. R-Remember when we were still tweens, m-making those manga comics or whatever?" Chloe nuzzled her face into the blanket resting on top of Max. "B-Believe it or not I've r-resumed that shit. It's just rough ideas r-right now but it h-helps me get my mind off things, w-with you constantly in here and…- y'know. It _helps._ "

Chloe slowly lifted her head from Max's chest and loomed inches away from the brunette, looking her over closely as she went over her freckles and bit her lip. One of her hands brushed away the chestnut hair partially covering her face, revealing her full beauty to Chloe.

"G-God, I miss you so much." She spoke softly and rested her forehead against Max's, quietly crying once again.

_Me too._

"Come back to me Max." Chloe brushed her lips against Max's, holding them there for a few seconds before opening her eyes to the still comatose brunette. _Fairytales suck._ "Please."

Just then she squeezed Max's limp hand, holding on tight as she had wanted nothing more right now than to receive a squeeze back. She did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Arc 2.


	14. I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Chloe ran her fingers through her blue strands as she stood in the cold, her other hand holding onto the lit cigarette as the grey smoke rose slowly. She lowered her gaze onto her simple uniform - a white polo, grey slacks and the semi-apron around her waist that sported the restaurant logo. She chuckled to herself at the sight, still in slight disbelief even after months of already working - who'd have thought the the punk who once hated everyone would now be working as a waitress? After another drag of her nearly depleted cigarette, she exhaled the smoke around her and took out her phone instead - the cigarette butt falling to the concrete floor quietly.

"Hey Chloe!" A female voice called out behind her amongst the sudden sound of cutlery, shouting and water running - moments later the sounds yet again became muffled.

Her gaze turned to her side as she saw Annie, her slightly younger, blonde, ponytailed co-worker come out of the back entrance of the restaurant they both worked at. The girl wore a uniform that was almost identical to Chloe's - the only defining features between the two were the absence of thick-rimmed glasses on the punk and the obvious difference in hair colour. Chloe smiled and gave her a slight nod before returning her eyes to her phone.

"Ugh, I hate working Sundays." Annie exclaimed as she took out her own packet of cigarettes and promptly lit up. Chloe simply nodded and slumped her back against the brick wall nearby, absentmindedly looking at things on the internet.

"You and me both."

"Why'd you come in for Darren's shift then?" Annie raised her eyebrow as she exhaled some of her smoke, joining Chloe in leaning against the brick wall.

"Dunno. Had nothing better to do, I guess?" Chloe shrugged and looked back down at her phone screen.

"You gotta get out more." Annie pointed out and coughed up some smoke on accident. "Seriously - what the hell do you when you're off?"

"Stuff." Chloe didn't feel that comfortable in revealing the truth - all she did was blaze, drink and sleep until the day was over. Sometimes she drew or wrote stuff too. Maybe she read a book once. _Maybe twice._

"Alright, now I _know_ you don't do shit." Annie chuckled and looked away for a second, focusing on the busy downtown street that ran nearby. "Go to a club, a bar or _something_ \- hell, I don't know. You do realise you'd have guys on their knees the moment they saw you alone at a bar?"

"Not interested." Chloe immediately shut down the conversation with a slightly stern tone - Annie simply scrunched up her face in confusion but didn't read too much into it.

Silence befell the two girls as they continued on with their break - the silence wasn't _silent_ per say - it was drowned out by the constant bustle of the city all around them. Chloe checked the time and saw that her allocated 30 minute break was coming to an end in just a few hundred more seconds. Her nose caught the whiff of the menthol cigarettes that Annie was smoking - the punk didn't like flavoured cigarettes herself, she'd rather just smoke the bitter stuff and get a kick out if it.

"How the hell can you smoke that stuff?" Chloe asked as she moved forward off the wall and brushed herself off. Annie snickered and blew out some more smoke, her other hand browsing through her own phone.

"How the hell can you smoke the non-flavoured shit?" Annie pointed towards Chloe's pocket, the one that she knew held the bluenette's cigarettes and zippo. "The taste is _terrible._ "

"Yet somehow the taste didn't shy you away from becoming a smoker." Chloe shot back with a teasing glare, her arms crossed over her chest and she stood a few feet away.

"FYI - I started with flavoured cigarettes, only once had I ever smoked a non-flavoured one. _Regret._ " Annie dropped her gaze back down to her phone and heard the punk sigh.

"All you damn hipsters and your flavoured cigarettes." Chloe threw up her hands in defeat and started to slowly make her way back inside.

"You're in hipster city, get used to it Chloe!" Annie called out behind the punk as she saw her disappear inside.

Chloe walked over to the small section of the back that was dedicated to personal lockers, opening up her own to deposit her personal items before resuming her shift. With a notepad in hand, a pen tucked in behind her ear and her best smile on her face, Chloe walked through the kitchen and back out to the front of the restaurant. At first she stood still and looked around for any obvious customers, finding that the majority of tables were already occupied with both patrons and food. She let out a quiet sigh and instead made her way over to a corner of the room occupied by her manager - James.

"Hey." James spoke quietly as he saw Chloe take up position beside him, her hands on her hips as her gaze was held over the restaurant.

"Things already dying down?" Chloe heard James nod beside her at the question in an instant.

"Not many bookings left for today, three - _four_ \- tables at most." James replied and held his own stare over the restaurant, letting out a silent groan as he felt his muscles and joints start to ache. "Think you can hold your own out here? I need a quick break."

"Yeah, I got it boss - no worries." Chloe nodded her head and saw James immediately make his way past her, disappearing behind the door to the kitchen.

Confidently she strode forward from her place and began to mingle with a few of the customers - that was one of her many tasks in her workplace - to ensure that they'd have a great service and therefore a strong impression of the restaurant, hoping to make them return in the future. Chloe was particularly good at this aspect of her job - whether she liked it or not her hair and punky persona attracted wide attention. As she strode from table to table for the next hour or so, she had noticed that both James and Annie came back from their break and wasted no time in resuming their own tasks, easing her burden slightly as she was allowed to take small breaks in between customers. Time passed relatively quickly as Chloe was kept busy, welcoming customers and taking their orders, relaying them further down the chain to the kitchen - it was simple, yet stressful work.

"Chloe, you're free to go." James spoke up as he approached the waiting punk - her arms were held behind her as she held a smile on her face, directed towards one of the last few customers sitting at their table.

"Serious?" Chloe stupidly asked - _obviously_ she was free if her manager just told her so.

"Yeah, yeah." James gestured with one hand towards the kitchen. "I gotta talk to you about something."

"Uh..-" Chloe replied slightly nervously and replaced her concerned expression with her trademark grin. "Not getting fired, am I?"

"You think I'd be stupid enough to get rid of one of my best workers?" James pointed out with his own grin as he followed Chloe into the back of the restaurant. Moments later they stood inside the small locker room at the far back - Chloe slumped against her locker and crossed her arms, gazing at James.

"So…-"

"Right, yeah. Now I know you're working part-time, you said that you wanted to be available at home because of something to do with your mother - correct?" James spoke confidently and watched Chloe.

"Yeah, that's right."

"That was a couple months ago when you first started though..-"

"That's true."

"So I've been thinking - we need a more permanent head waiter now that Darren has expressed that he's gonna be leaving in a few weeks." James smiled as he spoke and visibly saw Chloe tense up. "I was willing to offer the position to you, albeit you'd need to be around more - you'd also have to manage Annie and whoever else we pick up to replace Darren."

"Uh..-" Chloe felt her voice get caught in the back of her throat. Was she getting _promoted?_

"I'm not forcing anything onto you here, just saying that the position is up for grabs if you're willing to do the hours." James rested his shoulder on his own locker as he watched Chloe.

"I-.. uh..-" Chloe was unsure what to say. "W-What about Annie? She's been here longer than me, she deserves it more."

"Too young - she's still in high-school, remember?" James answered Chloe's question with ease. "She wouldn't have enough time between her studies, free-time and work - I don't want to strain anyone beyond their capabilities."

"Mhm." Chloe hummed back and ran her hand up the back of her neck awkwardly, her brain doing calculations on just how _much_ more hours she'd need to put into her work.

"Tell you what - Darren still isn't leaving for another two weeks so the notices won't go up until then. How about you think about it? Get back to me before he goes, alright?" James moved up his hand towards his collar and corrected it.

"Y-Yeah, that'll be good."

"Alright, I'll see you on..- Tuesday?" James furrowed his eyebrows in thought before clicking his fingers together.

"Sounds good." Chloe replied with a wide, beaming smile - she felt somewhat happy at what just happened, one good moment amongst the sea of bad shit. James left moments later and left the punk alone in the locker room, allowing herself to think for a few minutes.

Chloe recovered from her thoughts once she realised what had just happened - she continued to hold her wide smile as she recovered her personal belongings from her locker, pocketing them all and quickly walking out of the restaurant after a few goodbyes. She walked a slovenly pace amongst the crowds of people on the pavements of downtown Seattle, her hands fumbling around as she put in a pair of earphones and began to play a mix of music on her phone. At first it started with the hard, grungy guitars of some punk song, mixed with heavy lyrics and deep drumming. Chloe shook her head and instead looked for another song - she pulled up a list that Max had shown her during their road trip and shuffled it.

**_** ...Love of mine, someday you will die_ **   
**_But I'll be close behind and I'll follow you into the dark_ **   
**_No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white_ **   
**_Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark... **_ **

_Perfect,_ Chloe thought to herself with a smile - ' _pretentious hipster trash'_ is just what she needed right now.

**_** ...If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied_ **   
**_And illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs_ **   
**_If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks_ **   
**_Then I'll follow you into the dark... **_ **

The bus ride home was quiet, filled with the indie rock bands that Max had introduced to Chloe, each song seeming more mellow than the last. The punk occupied herself on the conversation she had with James, about the possibility of her getting promoted - she'd get paid more, sure, but she'd also have to work more. Then again - whatever else was she going to do with all the time she had right now? Joyce was recovering so she didn't need Chloe's help as much as she did in the first few months after Arcadia, with Max still in hospital the bluenette had nothing to do with her free time - partying and drinking out was out of the question as she didn't trust herself _not_ to do something stupid whilst under the influence. Her train of thought was interrupted by the doors of her bus opening loudly, signifying her stop.

Minutes later Chloe had found herself entering her house, her leather jacket being haphazardly thrown onto coat hanger beside the door. She walked a few feet forward and was met by Joyce coming out of the living room with a limp, a smile on her face.

"Hi." Chloe smiled as she spoke, moving in for a quick hug - the one week with Max had been enough to soften the girl, chip away her punk exterior around the people she was closest to.

"How was work?" Joyce asked with slight pride in her voice - she was glad that Chloe had finally decided to do something about her situation, despite the circumstances that she did it under.

"Great." Chloe kept her smile as she walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge, her eyes scanning over the various items inside, searching for something to snack on quickly. Joyce watched her daughter from the doorway, noticing that she seemed happier than usual after work.

"Did something happen…?" Joyce inquired and saw Chloe send her a glance.

"Uhm. Maybe." Chloe closed the fridge after failing to find anything she was interested in.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe I got promoted." Chloe blurted out and ran her hand over the back of her neck, letting out a slightly goofy smile.

"Promo-... Oh my goodness!" Joyce held her hand over her mouth in slight shock, her expression suddenly turning into a wide and proud smile.

"W-Well, I'm not promoted yet…-" Chloe pointed out and saw Joyce's expression turn into confusion. The punk simply laughed for a few seconds at the reaction, earning a glare from her mother.

"What do you mean you're not promoted _yet?_ "

"Here's the deal - James, my manager, told me that he needs somebody to replace Darren. You know him right? The rather large fellow, big beard, the one who was super polite to you when you and David came over for dinner?" Chloe reclined back against the kitchen island slightly as she held the conversation - Joyce nodded in return. "Well he found some place that was better or something, I don't know all the details but y'know. James said that he wanted me to replace him, but it's up to me really.."

"So you'll accept?" Joyce put a hand on her hip as she used the other one to steady herself in the doorway.

"Well…-"

"Chloe - this is a good opportunity for you." Joyce limped her way over to her daughter and joined her at the kitchen island, her face softened with slight concern for the bluenette.

"I know, I know..-" Chloe looked up and stared at nothing particular. "It's just that it's more hours and..-"

"You're worried I won't manage." Joyce bluntly pointed out and was met with a firm nod in return.

"Yeah, I g-guess." Chloe admitted and lowered her head back down in slight shame.

"Oh princess.." Joyce wrapped one hand around her daughter and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'll manage without you, fret not."

"A-Are you sure?" Chloe looked over at Joyce and saw her still holding her forever present smile, giving the punk yet another squeeze.

"Of course, you don't need to worry about me." Joyce let go of her daughter and limped over towards the fridge, opening it wide and looking over the contents herself. "Now, how about I make you something to eat?"

"Uhm - I-I don't have time, sorry." Chloe shot up from the kitchen island and looked at Joyce as the older woman turned around. "Places to be, y'know..?"

"Oh, yes! How could I forget." Joyce closed the fridge shut and looked over at her punk daughter as she stared back. "Well, what are you waiting for? Don't let me keep you."

"R-Right." Chloe blurted out and shot a smile back, making her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs relatively quickly.

Moments later she was already in her room, half-dressed as she looked around for a set of fresh clothes - she found a relatively plain tank-top, some black jeans and one of her beanies. She took some care with her uniform, making sure to leave it in some sort of tidy state so she wouldn't have trouble with it whenever she needed it next. Her hands rested on her hips as she looked over her room and tried to spot something that she had acquired only a day ago - her lips tugged at the sides as she saw the item in question and took it with her.

The bus ride to Harborview was the usual - sitting silently near the back, eyes focused on the Seattle skyline whilst soft music played into Chloe's ears. Her thoughts once again wandered over James' words, his proposition to promote the relatively new waitress already - she was impressed with herself, giddy with excitement that she might just be making _something_ with her life. The streets that passed by were a simple blur to the distracted bluenette, the girl only realising she had arrived after the bus jolted to a stop minutes later.

No matter how many times Chloe had already seen Harborview, she was no less impressed with each visit - the building was enormous, definitely amongst the biggest that Chloe had seen herself so far. Azure blue eyes drifted up to the usual window in one corner of the building - the punk had to squint in order to focus on the right one. She held her gaze on the tiny square as she walked up the steps to the main complex, losing sight once she reached the inside and walked over to the desk.

The elevator was in its usual state, the complete noiseless void being avoided thanks to the annoyingly happy melody playing quietly. Chloe reclined her back against the metal wall as she took out her earphones, her phone shortly afterwards being placed in her pocket - she didn't need any distractions anymore. Her hands curled up into fists as the door opened, the punk's attempt to try and get rid of any nervous thoughts and feelings before she actually reached Max's room - she was still getting used to the fact that Max was alright, nevermind _awake_ and not _mad_ at Chloe. Well - she didn't _really_ know whether she was mad or _not._

"Chloe?" A familiar soft voice called out, catching the attention of the bluenette punk walking slowly with her head down.

"Kate?" Chloe looked up and was instantly hit with the radiant, beaming smile of Kate Marsh. Her eyes shot up further beyond the blonde girl and noticed the taller, standing pixie-cut blonde. "...Victoria?"

"Uhm-.. Hi." Victoria replied awkwardly as Chloe caught the once queen-bee of Blackwell with a faint smile on her face.

"W-What..- What are you two doing here?" Chloe asked and mentally slapped herself on the forehead at the stupidity of her question.

"What do you think?" Kate teased and kept her smile wide, her hands crossed over her lap.

"Max..- Right. Dumb question." Chloe admitted and awkwardly ran her up the back of her neck as silence quickly befell the girls.

Chloe took a step forward seconds later and bent herself down slightly as she wrapped her arms around the wheelchair-bound Kate, giving the girl a tight hug. It was enough to lift the awkwardness between the three girls as Kate replied with a quiet giggle and sigh.

"H-How are you holding up?" Chloe moved out of the hug and crossed her arms as she slumped her shoulder against one of the sterile white walls, her eyes focused on Kate who still kept that godly-given smile.

"I'm fine. I'm more concerned about Max..-" Kate lowered her voice slightly and furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over the punk.

"M-Max? S-Shit, is something wrong?" Chloe shot up from her position immediately as she took a step past Kate and Victoria, the pixie-cut blonde standing quietly behind Kate the entire time.

"No! Oh my..- Of course not." Kate quickly shot her hand towards Chloe and stopped the punk from advancing further, pulling her back in front of her. "I was just worried about her, that's what I meant."

"O-Oh." Chloe felt her heart stop thumping, her nerves flush as the relief washed over her.

"Soo…- What's been going on with you?" Kate asked quietly as she saw Chloe fumble around with something in her jacket. Chloe kept her eyes wider than usual as she was caught in a daze - she snapped out of it once she heard Kate speak again.

"It's been alright, I guess." Chloe once again placed her shoulder against the wall, arms crossed over her chest as her eyes wandered the hallway up and down. "N-Not much happening really. What about you?"

"Great! My therapy is going really well." Kate spoke through her impossible smile as she ran her hand over her legs. "It's hard work but my therapist is sweet, she really knows how to motivate me."

"Awesome - you'll be walking around in no time I bet." Chloe flashed a smile of her own before her eyes travelled up to the silent pixie-cut blonde standing just behind Kate. "What about you?"

"Huh...?" Victoria was obviously caught off-guard at the question - never had she been on friendly terms with Chloe during her time in Blackwell, yet the events of that had transpired in October shook the blonde to the core and had a serious effect on her foundations. Her lips tugged at the sides slightly as she formed her own weak smile, making temporary eye contact with Chloe. "I'm f-fine..- uhm. Thanks for asking."

Conversation filled the relatively quiet hallway whilst the three girls shared some words - mostly catching up, plans for the near future. Chloe had learned that Kate was going to finish her education at home with resources provided by Blackwell, meanwhile Victoria would begin work on her professional portfolio and like Kate she'd be receiving the necessary packs to continue her education until the 'official' end of the school year. With Blackwell in enormous disrepair and Arcadia Bay gone the Academy couldn't accept students on the remnants of the campus - the dorms were in rubble, the main building was heavily battered by the storm and the general vicinity of the school was still recovering from the torrential amounts of rain that had caused a mudslide in the surrounding hills.

"It's a shame..- It was such a beautiful town, the campus for Blackwell was gorgeous too." Kate let out a quiet sigh after she spoke, hearing the nods of agreement from both Victoria and Chloe. "Nobody knows why or how that storm happened too..- so sad."

"Mhm." Chloe hummed in agreement and shifted uncomfortably in her place - she knew the truth and it definitely wasn't something she was willing to reveal.

"It's just such a t-tragedy.. - W-Warren and..-" Kate hung her sentence on a grim note, her hands running under her eyes quickly to clear away the stray tears that had appeared - her sniffle was the only sound present in the otherwise eerily silent corridor.

"Hey..- it's alright." Chloe once again held her arms out and gave the christian girl a hug, rubbing her hands over her back to soothe her. "I-It's alright."

Kate quietly cried into Chloe's shoulder as she held onto her, she felt as another set of hands rubbed her shoulders to further help - she kept her eyes closed as she did her best to stop crying. A few moments later she came to as her hands ran over her eyes and wiped away the remnant tears, her arms going limp as they dropped back down to her lap - Chloe kept her smile on her face as she moved away, the trace of her own tears present in her eyes. Talking about Arcadia, the victims - their friends - had always been hard for them, especially considering that the storm had only happened four months ago.

"Ryan, I really think that we should rem-.."

"Honey, don't bring this up again - please."

"But Ryan!"

"Enough."

Chloe shifted her gaze almost immediately down the hallway towards the source of the voices - the middle-aged couple making their way out of the room at the very end. Her arms crossed over her chest as she heard snippets of the conversation, enough to figure out the topic. The punk's heart clenched in her chest as she realised that Vanessa had once again tried to have her removed from Max's visiting list.

Ryan Caulfield led his wife down the hallway, his arm wrapped around her shoulder to keep her close - his eyes rested on the trio that was standing only a few feet away, their own gazes locked with his. Vanessa shot a glance at the bluenette punk that stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her own azure blue eyes meeting the woman halfway in a silent battle. Her mouth opened for a moment but promptly shut itself as the woman couldn't quite find the words she had wanted to scream towards the girl, the one that she had _once_ nearly considered her second daughter.

The couple continued down the rest of the hallway silent, eventually exchanging a few words as they entered the lift and the woman shot one last stare at the punk looking back.

"Uhm..- p-perhaps we should go." Kate awkwardly interdicted into the silence and snapped Chloe out her daze, the punk still holding her eyes on the now closed elevator doors.

"A-.. Alright." Chloe smiled and gave Kate another hug, her brain considering the same treatment for Victoria - she shook her head mentally and instead settled for a quiet nod towards the pixie-cut blonde. "Stay safe."

"You too. Bye!" Kate flashed her wide smile at Chloe and gave her a wave - Victoria curtly followed it up with her own half-wave before she began to help Kate down the hallway.

Moments passed before Chloe finally let out her own sigh, the sight of the two girls finally getting lost behind the metal elevator doors. She ran her hand through her blue locks and then stared at the door to her girlfriends hospital room - this was going to be her first visit since Friday, the day she had woken up. Chloe still couldn't believe it was actually true. Her legs carried her forward as she ran her hand over her simple gift in her jacket, her other one resting on the metal door knob - with a swift motion she swung it open and closed it behind her.

Max was lying quietly in her hospital bed, her gaze held on the windows to her right - the quiet EKG monitor beeping along as it's sound was the only disturbance in the otherwise quiet room. Her head rolled to her side as she looked towards the door instead, an expression of sadness - a hint of anguish - present on her face. It very quickly changed into a wide, toothy smile when she had spotted Chloe standing near the door awkwardly. Her hands extended out to her sides as she waited for her hug.

Chloe sprung forward and did her best not to launch herself at the brunette, worried about hurting the still weak girl, as her own arms wrapped around Max and clenched on for dear life. The punk felt the weak squeeze around her as the hipster did her best to show her affection in her weakened state - Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer and buried her face into the nook of Max's neck, bawling her eyes out in disbelief.

Max was back.

"H-Holy shit, y-you're a-actually back..-" Chloe spoke through her sobs as she held on even tighter.

"O-Oww..-" Max managed to croak out as she winced in slight pain - her throat was still getting used to speaking after her coma.

"S-Shit!" Chloe quickly realised that she was causing discomfort to her girlfriend - her hands immediately relented their grip as she moved away, one of them drifting underneath her eyes to wipe away the tears - _happy_ tears.

"It's o-okay..-" Max ran her hand over her weakened ribs, rubbing away the slight pain that had appeared during her girlfriend's desperate hug.

The room was very quickly filled with silence as Chloe sat herself down on the chair beside Max's bed. The EKG monitor broke up the awkwardness, one beep at a time, whilst the two girls shared a stare - Chloe had just realised how dumb she had acted on Friday, absolutely scared shitless at the prospect that Max was actually _awake_ at the time.

"I-I got you something." Chloe mumbled out and shot her hand into her jacket, retrieving her small gift - a small, cute teddy bear. It was simple, much like the punk, and it spoke a thousand words that didn't need to be said - she cared.

"Aww..- t-thanks." Max once again struggled to speak as she took her gift gratefully, giving her new friend a squeeze - she kept a weak smile trained on her girlfriend, her eyes never leaving their mark as they kept boring deeper into her.

"U-Uhm..- I guess we should s-speak, right?" Chloe awkwardly jumbled out her sentence and heard the quiet nod in return. The bluenette let out a quiet sigh and reached forward towards Max's hand, her hands bringing it up to her lips as she left a kiss. It was different - no longer cold, no longer hard - it was once again warm and tender, a sensation that Chloe hadn't experienced in a long time. She let out a quiet sob and squeezed the hand with her own, conveying her apologies.

"H-Hey, I missed you..-" Max smiled herself and kept her eyes on Chloe, seeing the punk light up almost immediately at the words. It wasn't the words themselves that caused her heart to flutter - more so the soft voice of Max, the girl who ripped apart time, the fabric of reality, the world, just so she could be with Chloe and only to be taken away from her again.

"F-Fuck..- I'm so sorry." Chloe blurted out again as she took in a hitched breath. "I'm so sorry for leaving you on Friday..- Awh, s-shit..-"

"I g-get it..-"

"N-No Max, y-you don't. I need to say sorry a million t-times and it won't be enough." Chloe closed her eyes and felt the guilt in her chest, her thoughts running back to the day that Max had woken up - she was too chicken shit to stay, to talk, to say anything to the girl she had been missing for four months. The shock was too much.

"F-Fine then..- why d-did you leave..?" Max asked quietly and shuffled around in her bed, trying to get herself slightly upright so she could concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"I was s-scared." Chloe simply spoke and opened her eyes again, meeting Max's halfway. "H-Have they told you how l-long it's been s-since..-?"

"Yeah."

"Well..- I d-didn't..-" Chloe remembered why she wasn't good at holding conversations like this - she sucked with words when put in a stressful, emotional situation, her vocabulary limiting her to an offshoot of different insults that she hoped would work or her wit. "I d-didn't know what to say."

"I k-know."

"N-No-.."

"Yes, _I do._ " Max shot back instantly before her girlfriend could ramble on again - she knew exactly what it was like to not know what to say to somebody you've been missing for a long time. Oh she knew.

"I guess you do..-" Chloe conceded as she remembered what Max had told her during their week in October. "S-Sorry."

"Don't be." Max moved up further in her bed and propped her back against her pillows, lightly tugging at at her hand that Chloe held onto, her other one patting a space beside her. Chloe quickly understood and got up from her chair, sitting herself as close to Max as their bodies would allow - she missed this.

"Y-You forgive me..?" Chloe spoke with a hopeful tone in her voice. Max rolled her eyes and tugged at her hand again, drawing Chloe in closer - their faces only inches apart by the end.

"Always."

Chloe lowered herself down further and rested her forehead against Max's, doing her best to fight her urges to kiss the girl - she didn't think it was appropriate in the moment, despite her body screaming otherwise.

"T-Thank you."

"I should b-be the one thanking you." Max admitted in a quiet whisper and saw Chloe's expression change into confusion.

"What do you mean..?" Chloe asked quietly and moved back from their slightly intimate moment, her eyebrow raised just a bit.

"You're such a d-dork sometimes." Max giggled quietly and saw Chloe uphold her confused look, her eyes scanning Max's for any hint of deception or teasing. "M-Manga comics, Chlo?"

"W-Wait..-" Chloe's eyes widened as she went over the events that had occurred on Friday. "Y-You _heard_ that?"

"O-Of course I did." Max kept her smile and giggled again when she saw Chloe's face go through a myriad of expressions, finally ending in a full circle as she once again wore her confused face. "Why did you think I w-woke up?"

"S-Shit, I didn't..-" Chloe brought one hand up to her hair and ran her fingers through it, occasionally catching it in a grip and pulling slightly - ensuring she wasn't daydreaming. "W-Wow, I thought it was all b-bullshit."

"Dog..- Did you e-even try before?"

"No..-" Chloe admitted and lowered her gaze. Why hadn't she tried talking to the comatose brunette sooner, even after the millions of times that Dr. Garrett had told her it would help? The punk smacked herself on the forehead, her action eliciting a giggle from her girlfriend. "I'm so dumb."

"Sometimes." Max nodded as she spoke and saw Chloe send her a fake scowl.

"G-God..- I missed you so much." Chloe couldn't hold the scowl for much longer as she smiled her widest yet, the weight of the past four months, the longing for her girlfriend that always forced the ache in her heart - all if it had finally come undone, finally disappearing into a deep abyss, hopefully never to resurface again. "I'm g-glad you're back."

"I would hope so." Max teased and replied with another smile. "I'd hate to w-wake up after 4 months only t-to learn my girlfriend _wasn't_ g-glad to see me."

Chloe laughed to herself and finally felt herself relax properly for the first time in months - weed helped and cigarettes did too, sometimes even alcohol - yet nothing had ever allowed her to reach the state that she had experienced when she was with Max. Her head dropped down onto the brunette's chest quietly as the punk made herself comfortable, her fingers slowly intertwining with the petite hand she had held the entire time. She closed her eyes and listened to the quiet beat of the heart, ignoring the annoying beep of the EKG monitor which was simply keeping the artificial beat of her girlfriend's heart.

"S-So, w-what's been going on with you for the past 4 months?" Max asked quietly as she ran her free hand through Chloe's blue hair, the touch of the strands sending familiar sensations that she hadn't experienced for oh-so-long.

"U-Uh.. Do y-you know anything already..?" Chloe replied and heard her girlfriend nod.

"Just the stuff you t-told me during my c-coma." Max let out a quiet sigh as she realised that once again the two girls would have to catch up - they hadn't even finished their 5 year catch up during their road trip, now they had to add another 4 months onto that. "Are J-Joyce and David really o-okay..?"

"Yeah, they are. M-Mom broke her leg pretty b-badly during the initial stage of the storm but David got her out of there. He-.. He's _okay._ " Chloe spoke softly and used her free hand to trace circles across Max's blanket.

"Okay..?"

"Alright, he's pretty badass." Chloe confessed and heard Max chuckle in return. "He r-rescued you, then mom.. He caught Jeffershit and all.. I can't really call him step-fuhrer anymore, c-can I?"

"Not really, no." Max nodded in reply. She had never liked Chloe's constant harassment of her stepfather, yet she also hated his constant harassment of Blackwell students and Chloe herself - but comparing him to a dictator? David wasn't like that, Max knew he loved Chloe like his own daughter, he just didn't know how to show it. "Are you going easy on him..?"

"Compared to before? Yeah." Chloe nodded and let out a sigh. "I just..- I haven't really told him."

Max kept quiet as she kept running her still weak hands through Chloe's hair. Silence had befallen the couple as breathed quietly, focusing themselves on different parts of the room, not wanting to talk and instead settling on cherishing their own presence together once again.

"M-Max..?"

"Yeah?"

"W-What..- What was it like?" Chloe sat up slowly and kept her fingers intertwined with Max's.

"Cold and l-lonely." Max looked away from her girlfriend and towards the window, the rays of sunlight hitting her bed slightly as they warmed up the blanket draped over her. "It was literally just a b-box with me - nothing else. No walls, no floors, no ceiling. Infinity wherever I looked."

"S-Shit sounds depressing." Chloe admitted and heard Max chuckle at the statement.

"It was." Max's eyes darted around the different skyscrapers that dotted the Seattle skyline, so many of them familiar to her as memories of her 5 years slowly crept through. "I-.. I only ever heard your voice. Sometimes my parents. Kate, V-Victoria.."

"Crazy." Chloe let out a sigh and heard Max do the same.

"It was more l-like a dream though. It felt infinite, like it lasted forever, but it also felt like I had just closed my eyes and went to sleep - woke up only seconds later." Max continued and ran her free hand over her temple. "D-Did.. Did you blame yourself for the crash…?"

"..." Chloe kept silent as she looked away, not wanting to answer.

_"Chloe.."_ Max pressed on with her assault, giving Chloe's hand a squeeze to try and get her attention.

"Yeah."

Max seated herself upright after some struggle, using her intertwined hand to pull Chloe closer to her - she rested her forehead against Chloe's as she wrapped her free hand around her shoulder, pulling her even closer. The punk mirrored her action and gave her a squeeze as the two stared into each other's eyes, inches apart.

"Don't blame yourself for the crash." Max simply spoke and saw Chloe nod afterwards.

"Don't blame yourself for..- A-Arcadia and..- well, y'know."

"I-... I'll try, okay? Y-You need to cut me some slack though." Max replied softly and heard Chloe nod in return. "It's b-better knowing that _some_ people survived, but W-Warren a-and… Ugh."

"I understand." Chloe ran her fingers through Max's chestnut hair as she constantly kept their intertwined hand beside them - after a moment of hesitation she finally moved in closer and left a kiss on Max's lips, lingering over them for a few seconds as she remembered just how it had felt all those months ago.

"C-Can.. Can we stop talking about all the s-sad stuff for now?" Max whispered and saw Chloe's expression change quickly, the sulky face being replaced with a happy - radiant - smile.

"Lets." Chloe kept her smile and moved apart from their embrace, watching as Max laid herself back down on her pillow. "How about some good news?"

"Shoot."

"Well…- I may or may not be getting promoted already." Chloe revealed and saw Max's face change between confusion, surprise and then happiness.

"O-Oh… Oh my dog - that's great!" Max exclaimed a little bit too loudly, her voice echoing around the room alongside the EKG and the chuckle from her girlfriend. "W-Wowser… I'm s-so glad you picked up work whilst.."

"Me too." Chloe nodded with a smile on her face. "It's not that bad to be honest - I thought I'd be doing slave labour but my manager is actually pretty chill."

"Now you can be my sugar momma." Max teased with a giggle and saw Chloe shoot her a look of feigned frustration, her free hand resting against her chest as she looked offended.

"Caulfield - are you implying that I _hadn't_ been your sugar momma the entire road trip?"

"Well…-" Max scrunched up her face and then nodded. "I guess you were. Then again…- it wasn't _your_ money..."

" _Details_ , woman!"

"H-How about some news of my own…?" Max raised her voice a bit and caught her girlfriend's attention in an instant. "I may or may not be getting released in a day or two..-"

"...seriously?" Chloe looked dumbfounded - her heart thumping against her chest wildly as she was filled with emotion. Had she been the one strapped to the EKG, she was almost sure that the machine would struggle to keep up with her own heartbeat.

"Yep." Max smiled wide at Chloe's reaction - she looked like a child on Christmas day, one that had received exactly what she asked for.

"That's AWESOME!" Chloe couldn't help but wrap her arms around Max and pull her into a squeeze, ignoring the squirming from the brunette who was caught off guard. Very quickly Chloe had used her advantage to lean into Max's ear and lower her voice to a whisper, a tinge of seduction present in her tone. "I'm gonna have you all to myself…-"

"U-Uhm. Not exactly." Max closed her eyes as she spoke and heard Chloe's breath hitch. The two arms around her very slowly lowered her back down to the bed - moments later Max had finally worked up the courage to open her eyes, immediately being met with the piercing stare that belonged to her girlfriend.

"W-What do you mean..?" Chloe sounded a bit worried, her heart stopping in its tracks as she was worried about some really - _really_ \- bad news.

"I-It's nothing bad! H-Honestly..-" Max tried to salvage the situation, doing her best to keep it happy and not descend into yet another melancholic atmosphere that had hung over them during their last conversation. "It's just that..- well.."

"W-Well…?"

"M-Mom and Dad want me to stay with them for some time, at least until I get my shit together." Max bit her lip and squeezed Chloe's hand.

"T-That..- That's not bad... right?" Chloe scrunched up her face in confusion - she didn't really see a problem with what Max had said.

"It isn't…?" Max raised her own eyebrow as she didn't understand Chloe's reaction.

"No..?"

"Oh..- Uhm. Ignore me then." Max looked away in embarrassment - deep inside she had hoped that Chloe would have fought tooth and nail to get Max to live with her. Live together, in their own apartment or house or whatever.

"Why did you think that'd be bad? I don't care if you want to bunk up with your old folks.." Chloe looked down at Max and saw her bite her lip, obviously holding something back from her girlfriend.

"Well…- I vaguely remember something about y-you and m-mom and I..- Uh.." Max scattered out a sentence and didn't finish it, squeezing Chloe's hand in hopes gaining some courage from her punk girlfriend. "I just..- I kinda wanted to live with you..-"

"Oh. _Oooohh_. OH." Chloe felt the freight train hit her in an instant as she processed the words. Max had wanted to live with her. Her _girlfriend_ had _wanted_ to _live_ with _her_. Why was that such a foreign concept? Why did it sound so impossible, so weird - they had talked about this the entire time during their road trip, yet…- This was reality. They _could_ in theory live together, in their own apartment, with their own furniture and everything else their own - Chloe did have money saved up from her jobs, the remnants of the handicapped fund and she was also getting promoted to a full-time position. Maybe..-

"F-Forget I said anything." Max mumbled out and looked away, instead focusing herself on the Seattle skyline.

"N-No. No. No, no, no. Caulfield - you look at me." Chloe raised her voice a bit and caught the brunette's attention - her head turned to her side as she met the punk's eyes with her own. "You repeat what you just said."

"I w-want to live with you."

There it was again.

Chloe's head processed over the sentence again and again, churning out each individual word as she kept going over what it had meant. Her face went through her usual cycle of confusion, shock and then the mischievous, shit-eating grin that she was so famous for.

"You're living with me girlfriend."

"I-... w-wait. You..- You w-want to live with me too?" Max furrowed her eyebrows as she inspected Chloe's grin. She couldn't decide whether she was teasing or she was speaking the truth - it was hard to differentiate between what her grins meant.

"Hella yes." Chloe squeezed Max's hand and saw her light up after a few seconds - the widest, most radiant smile that she had ever seen began to form on the brunette's face. Suddenly the smile dropped back down and was replaced with a look of worry, anxiety.

"...but my parents.."

"...have no say in what you want - you're _18!"_

"I guess..-" Max began to feel slight regret at her words.

She _was_ 18, of legal age, so her parents couldn't stop her from moving out and living with Chloe - yet she didn't want to disappoint them. They had just got their daughter back after she was stuck in a 4 month long coma, only to potentially lose her again to her punk best-friend - _girlfriend_ \- for god knows how long. Perhaps they should take it one step at a time - she needed some time to readjust into her life again, to fill in the blanks of what happened between now and the accident.

"U-Uhm..- actually, c-can we wait up on that?" Max shyly spoke and saw Chloe scrunch her face up in confusion.

"S-Sure, if you want.." Chloe tried not to sound disappointed. _Tried._

"I don't mean anything by it.." Max pouted slightly as she knew that Chloe _was_ disappointed. "I _want_ to live with you Chloe, b-but..- I just realised I need some time to adjust, to get with the program I guess."

"Understandable." Chloe nodded as she noticed the brunette's own pleading tone in her voice, well masked underneath the apologies she shot at the bluenette.

"Give me some time with my parents first, o-okay? Maybe in a month or two we can talk about this again." Max smiled her best and watched as Chloe sulkily held her own half-hearted smile. "Chloeee.."

"Alright, alright - whatever." Chloe admitted defeat in this battle but not the war - Max _was_ going to live with her.

"Thank you..-" Max squeezed Chloe's hand with her own and received one back shortly, albeit slightly weaker than usual. The brunette let out a quiet sigh as she watched over her girlfriend, the punk looking around the room quietly as Max knew that she was avoiding her gaze. "Chloe.."

"What?" Chloe shot back but didn't meet Max's gaze - she couldn't.

"Look at me."

"Why?"

"Chloe, look at me goddamnit!" Max felt her own voice raise an octave by accident - she didn't meant to but sometimes the punk had ways of even ticking her off, especially when she lied to the hipster. Chloe sulkily dropped her head and looked over at Max, her hands limp as she knew she was going to get _some_ sort of punishment from her girlfriend.

"...yeeesss?" Chloe playfully held the word as she tried to lighten the situation, not wanting to suffer the wrath of Mad Max.

"Don't be mad - not now." Max pleaded quietly as she looked over her girlfriend. Chloe's sulky expression changed into a grin moments later, her body shifting forward as she loomed over the brunette.

"I'm not mad..- just..- I d-don't know." Chloe closed her eyes and dropped her head further down until their foreheads touched again. "Disappointed, I guess? You're a tease, y'know that?"

"I _wasn't_ teasing." Max spoke back with a stern tone and saw Chloe slightly shrink under her words. "I _want_ to live with you, okay? I really do. J-Just..- give me time. I need to figure out what to do now that B-Blackwell is gone, my scholarship in t-tatters.."

"Okaaay..-"

"Also I think you should talk to my mom before we decide to live together." Max pointed out the obvious elephant in the room that they had avoided so far.

Silence once again fell upon the room as neither girl spoke - Max kept her eyes locked on Chloe, the punk keeping hers closed as she thought over her girlfriend's words. After a few moments of quiet contemplation, courage building and conflict in her head, Chloe finally let out a long-drawn sigh. She moved down quickly and gave Max a peck on the lips, followed up by a giggle.

"I'll try." Chloe meekly replied - she hadn't really thought of any way to possibly 'lay it out' as it were to Vanessa. How would she even approach her? The last time she even remotely tried to speak with the woman they descended into a shouting match after less than 3 words. She just didn't know.

"I'll help you." Max saw the conflict present in Chloe's face, herself a bit afraid that the punk would be far, _far_ too brash with her mother.

"A-Alright." Chloe interlocked her fingers with Max's again as they kept their foreheads close, the contact providing a strong connection between the two that not even they understood. "Would probably be for the best…- I don't think I'd have the patience to to deal with your mother alone."

"Yeah, I figured that after she told me what you called her." Max giggled and saw Chloe's expression change to horror.

"Y-Yeah, don't use that word..-" Chloe spoke quietly as she saw Max keep her smile.

"You're quite the wordsmith on the fly when you're angry." Max inched her head closer to Chloe's as their lips drifted over one another.

"Part of the tats n' 'tude package." Chloe brushed her lips against Max's as they shared a soft kiss, smiling and giggling afterwards.

"Worth the _price._ "

"Okay, that sucked."

"Shut up..."

"...and kiss you...?"

"...and kiss me."

 


	15. Atlas Hands

Max moved around her hospital room quietly as she went about gathering up the rest of her things - a few gifts she received, cards, letters and whatever else had accumulated on her nightstands during her coma. She struggled a bit in placing everything in her worn, torn and definitely old camera bag - the contents of which had already been cleared by her girlfriend only a day prior. After a few more minutes of struggling she finally put in the last items and slumped down on her bed again, letting out a quiet sigh as she brought up one hand in front of her and began to flex it - she struggled to hold a tight grip, her muscles giving way after only a moment of holding her fist closed. Being in a coma wrecked her body - no movement, no exercise for 4 months took a toll on her muscles. She was also skinnier - even more than before - and her figure had prompted Chloe to call her a 'bony-ass' more than once already.

"You ready?" Chloe walked into the room after a few more silent moments, a coffee in one hand whilst the other held a duffle bag over her shoulder - the contents holding more of Max's clothes that Vanessa had brought only days prior, clothes which Max _didn't_ need.

"Yeah." Max replied quietly and kept flexing her hand around, wriggling her fingers as she still felt weird having control over her body again. Chloe walked over towards the bed and sat down next to Max, taking a sip of her coffee as she looked down at her girlfriend.

"You alright…?" Chloe asked quietly and gently knocked her head against Max's.

"Yep. J-Just..- Just thinking, that's all." Max turned her head towards Chloe's and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Let's move that bony ass then girlfriend, your old folks will be here in a few and we still have to find your doctor's office." Chloe smiled and put down her coffee on the nightstand momentarily, using her free hand to sling Max's camera bag over her shoulder - adding further weight to herself.

"You don't have to carry all my stuff." Max protested as she grabbed onto the bag strap and playfully tugged it towards herself. "I'm not _that_ weak."

"I'd rather be safe than sorry - besides, you think these abs can't take it?" Chloe quickly lifted up her tank top and revealed her flat stomach for a few moments, eliciting a giggle from Max as the brunette ran her hands over the skin and gave it a slap.

"You don't have any abs, liar." Max jabbed her finger into the flat stomach and saw Chloe wiggle her eyebrows.

"Not _yet_."

"Mhm - whatever you say." Max rolled her eyes and stood up, taking a few steps towards the door before turning around and watching Chloe still sitting on the bed. "What are you waiting for? Let's gooo."

Chloe dropped her head slightly and took her coffee, taking a sip from it to calm her nerves. In only a few minutes she'd be standing face-to-face with Vanessa Caulfield, Max's mother and the nightmare she's been dealing with for the past four months. Max had already told the punk to be as apologetic as possible but to never lay the blame for the crash on herself, even if Vanessa tries to - the hipster reassured Chloe that if worst came to worst then she'd step in for her. That gave her a _little_ bit of courage, but what she needed right now was dutch courage - alas all her alcohol was at home. Whilst being lost in her thoughts she didn't even realise the Max had sat back down next to her and wrapped her hands around Chloe, giving her a squeeze.

"It's gonna be fine." Max spoke quietly as she figured what Chloe must've been thinking about.

"Is it? Max..- What if I blow the fuck up again? What if I call her something worse this time? I-.." Chloe felt the words lost in the back of her throat as she was unsure how to profess her fear. "I-I don't want to fuck this up too."

"You won't." Max nuzzled her face into Chloe's shoulder and gave her another squeeze. "If anything happens then I'll talk to her, okay?"

"You shouldn't..-"

"But I will - you're my girlfriend and I'm gonna stand up for you, just like you stood up for me all those times." Max knocked her head gently against Chloe's shoulder and saw her smile as she took another sip of her coffee. "I just want you to try, that's all."

"Okay. Okay - I guess I can do that." Chloe finished the remains of her coffee in one more huge gulp and crushed the cup with one hand, throwing it over towards the bin in the corner and hitting a perfect shot. "Let's go then."

The two girls made their way out of the hospital room moments later - Max held one last gaze over the place that she had spent four unaccounted for months in, the room that had held her prisoner inside her very own prison. She let out a sigh and began to follow the punk down the hallway slowly, occasionally holding onto Chloe as her legs stumbled - getting her body back in full control was going to take some time.

After stopping a few times to ask for directions, reaching a few dead ends and taking _a lot_ of wrong turns - they had finally found themselves in the right corridor, the one that lead to Dr. Garrett Duncan's office. Max kept close to Chloe as she let the punk lead the way, the hipster falling back as a lingering thread of anxiety hung over her.. Garrett Duncan was her doctor, true, but she had only known him for two days - meanwhile he had known the brunette for over four months, give or take.

"I guess this is it." Chloe spoke as she gestured with a nod towards the door that they had found themselves standing by - a simple plaque with the doctors name attached to the wood had indeed confirmed their suspicions.

"Now we just wait for mom and dad." Max let out a quiet sigh and sat herself down in a chair opposite the office door, watching as Chloe sat down next to her and put down the duffle she'd been carrying the entire time.

Max lowered her head to her side and rested on Chloe's shoulder, her hand drifting down to meet the punk's as they intertwined their fingers. Neither of them had spoken as they simply listened to the sounds of the corridor they were sitting in, the hospital they had found themselves in - most of it was just distant conversations, occasional shouts that were periodically broken by the sound of nurses moving around the sterile hall with trolleys containing different things. Max had managed to close her eyes and catch a few minutes of sleep that she had missed out on during the night, the various tests and drugs that were given to her in the past two days took away the sleep that she needed.

Chloe listened to the soft snoring come from beside her as she turned her head and gave Max's temple a few kisses, her eyes resting down the corridor - focusing on the set of elevator doors at the very end. She let out a content sigh as she kept hearing her girlfriend's breath hitch every few minutes - the sound so familiar to her as memories of their road trip flooded her mind yet again. It'd take some time for her to adjust to the fact that everything was _finally_ alright, everything was _going_ to be alright - at least bearable now that Max was back in Chloe's life yet again.

The sound of the elevator doors opening and the sight of the couple that came out had been enough to knock Chloe out her mind. She lightly squeezed Max's hand and gave her a small shove with her shoulder to wake her up.

"Hey, your parents are here." Chloe whispered as she kept her eyes on Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield - they themselves were talking quietly, ignoring the sight of the two girls sitting at the end of the corridor.

"Hmm..? Already?" Max ran her free hand over her eyes to help herself wake up from her short nap, looking up at Chloe and then back towards where the punk was looking - spotting her parents talking.

"When do you want me to..?" Chloe raised her eyebrow as she asked in a whisper, watching Max scrunch up her face moments later.

"Uhm..- P-Probably after we see the doctor, that'd be the best." Max nodded to herself and squeezed Chloe's hand, letting go afterwards as not to reveal their relationship _yet_ \- she wanted to time it _just right._

The brunette stood up from her chair and brushed off her jeans, her eyes held on her approaching parents as they were _still_ talking. Only after a few moments of what seemed like a heated exchange did they notice their daughter standing a few feet away, a smile on her face as she awkwardly held onto her shoulder with one hand - they stopped in their path and very quickly opened up both their arms, scooping up Max into a huge bear hug.

"There's my lovely daughter - how are you doing?" Ryan asked as she moved out of the hug, making sure to ruffle up the brunette's slightly longer hair.

"I'm fine dad - h-happy that I'm out of that damn bed." Max replied with a smile as she shared another hug with her mother, slightly longer than normal - something the brunette attributed to Vanessa simply adjusting that her daughter is fine after months of worrying.

"We're so glad you're finally up and about, you'll need to do daily exercises to-.." Vanessa began her rambling - Max instantly recognised it as her motherly trait, the one that had annoyed her months before when she tried to argue her point for attending Blackwell.

"Mom..-"

"You'll also need a balanced diet, but don't worry because I've already..-"

"Mooom..-"

"School too, of course - you need to finish your edu-.."

" _Mom!_ I know, okay? C-Can..- Can we talk about this later? Please?" Max stamped her foot down and caught Vanessa's attention, the woman stopping her onslaught of words as she realised that her daughter was slightly annoyed with her.

"Very well - we'll talk all about it once you're home." Vanessa finished and then shot her glance at the nearly absent punk standing further away, the bluenette holding her gaze away from the family as she fumbled around with the bags she was carrying. "What's _she_ doing here..?"

"She's _helping_ me." Max shot back with equal tone as she heard her mother almost venomously talk about Chloe. "She's still my _best friend_."

"Hmph. Some best friend she is..-" Vanessa spoke under her breath, loud enough for both Chloe and Max to hear.

"Are you _cereal?_ " Max crossed her arms as she scowled at her mother, hearing her girlfriend shuffle uncomfortably behind her. "You're _seriously_ going to blame her for the crash?"

"Yes, I will. She was the driver of that rust heap after all - how she got a license is beyond me!" Vanessa raised her voice and kept her gaze trained on her daughter, the brunette visibly getting annoyed at the words she was hearing.

"She wasn't the one who was speeding like a jerk at an intersection over a red light!" Max raised her own voice and met Vanessa's glare, taking a step to the side as her hands dropped to her sides - her hands curled into fists as she tried to flush her nerves, tried to keep calm.

"She was the one who took you away from us - after Arcadia too! Do you realise just how we felt after we didn't hear from you?" Vanessa dropped her own hands and started to make frustrated expressions in front of the brunette, hearing her husband shuffle behind her as he saw the situation dropping out of control. "Did she force you to run away?"

"She didn't force me to do anything!"

"Then why the hell were you two a state and a half away from Arcadia during the crash? Why the hell were you two running away?!" Vanessa put her hands on Max's shoulder and shook her, failing to notice the punk standing behind the brunette almost immediately tensing up.

"D-Dog..- I fucking KNEW you'd act like this! I was so fucking stupid thinking that you'd figure it out..-"

"Figure _what_ out, Maxine? Tell me!"

Max shook Vanessa's hands off her and turned around, grabbing Chloe by the collar of her neck and pulling her down into a kiss - right then and there, in front of both her parents. The punk didn't stop her, didn't struggle, and instead accepted the kiss willingly. Moments later the two disconnected with a smile.

"That." Max turned towards her mother as her hand intertwined fingers with Chloe, her eyes resting on the horror-filled woman - Vanessa stood quietly with one hand on her chest in pure shock, her other resting beside her as she was frozen in place..

"Y-You're..-"

"Gay? Yeah. I'm _hella_ gay." Max spoke back with a smirk and felt the squeeze she received from Chloe, the gesture boosting her confidence even further - her heart thumping in her chest from how fast the situation had escalated.. "Whether you like it or not, I _love_ Chloe and I'm not leaving her."

Vanessa stood silent as she kept her expression and pose, her body trembling slightly at the revelation she had just heard. Maxine, her daughter, was _lesbian_. She had absolutely no idea what to make of it, what to think, her brain completely blank as she couldn't even find words to express anything right now. She was so out of it that she failed to notice the two hands that rested on her shoulder, her husband doing his best to recover the situation.

"Max, this better not be some joke..-" Ryan began with a stern tone but stopped when he was met with Max's scowl.

"It's _not_ a joke!" Max shot back and held up her free hand in frustration, holding onto Chloe's hand with her other as tightly as she could. "I'm gay, dad! Why is it _so hard_ to understand?"

"I didn't say it was h-hard..- It's just..- We never..-" Ryan tried to defend himself but couldn't find the right words himself - even with all his life experience, everything he knew about his daughter and her preferences, he was _not_ prepared for this kind of news.

"Well you should both get used to it because I'm not changing my mind." Max finally lowered her voice and ran her hand through her hair, slowly feeling her nerves and emotions start draining slowly - calming her down. "It's who I am, okay?"

"I-.." Ryan began but yet again couldn't find the words. This was all quite too much for him, definitely too much for his wife. He shook his head, not in disapproval but in an attempt to dull the pain away from thinking too much into this - finally he gave his wife's shoulders a squeeze and nodded. "Very well. W-We'll..- We'll talk about this soon, okay?"

"Ugh..- fine." Max herself gave up and tugged at her hair, dropping her hand back down and turning towards the doctor's office - Chloe's hand still tightly holding onto hers.

Just then they all realised that Dr. Garrett was standing quietly outside of his office, clipboard in hand as he stared at the scene that had just played out. He snapped out of his daze when he felt the glares he was receiving, awkwardly coughing into his hand and doing her best to throw up a neutral smile.

"Uhm..- Shall we?" Garrett spoke and stood to the side, gesturing inside his office.

The Caulfields and Chloe quietly made their way into the rather large office, the four of them sitting themselves down on a small double-couch combo that the doctor had shown them. Vanessa was still speechless the entire time, Ryan silently helping his wife go through the motions of walking and sitting down as she was still dealing with the fact her daughter was lesbian. After a few seconds of fumbling around on his desk looking for something, Dr. Garrett finally sat himself down opposite the Caulfields and set down a few papers in front of himself.

"Now, before we're able to sign this young lady out..-" Garrett began as he started to fill in blanks on a form he had acquired, his handwriting ineligible in true doctor fashion. "I need to inform you of some possible complications that _may_ arise in the future."

"Complications?" Ryan asked as he held onto his wife, periodically giving her a reassuring squeeze to get her to come back to reality.

"Yes..- Now some of these aren't bad at all, in fact they're quite tame." Garrett continued as he went through blank after blank on the form, occasionally gesturing with his free hand. "Certainly nothing to worry yourself about too much."

"Well..- what are they?" Ryan continued as he shot a glance at Max - she was still holding Chloe's hand in her own, her eyes locked on the doctor with a faint frown as it seemed she had expected this.

"We've managed to narrow down the possibilities to a few minor disorders associated with head trauma, however in my own professional opinion - Max could possibly suffer from TGA, Transient Global Amnesia." Garrett looked up from his papers and watched the reaction of his patient, noticing that the brunette was staring down a the form rather intensely.

"Which is?" Ryan held his gaze on Garrett as he registered the movement beside him, his wife obviously catching onto what was being said as she herself finally looked up..

"It's nothing major - you might know it better as short term memory loss. Occasionally Max may suffer from episodes where she loses memory of what she'd been doing for the past few hours. It's a relatively non-invasive disorder that passes with time, with her memories being kept intact - just inaccessible for the duration of the episode." Garrett smiled as he spoke to reassure the group in front of him, resuming to fill out the form below. "It shouldn't disrupt her everyday life too much - she may need to have somebody with her for the first few months incase she suffers from it frequently. The disorder itself becomes less and less prevalent the longer a patient suffers from it. It may come back with old age, but otherwise it's harmless."

"Oh..- so she doesn't need any medication, any therapy or anything else..?" Ryan raised his eyebrow and saw Garrett shuffle in his seat as she looked up from beneath his glasses, his hand stroking his stubble.

"If it becomes an issue, perhaps if she suffers from daily episodes and it disrupts her education and such, we can both offer therapy and medications to help her along." Garrett finished with a smile and then turned the form around, placing the pen beside it. "I've filled out the form, you just need to sign it and Max will be free to go!"

Ryan hesitated for a second as he looked over at his daughter, seeing her smiling back at him slightly - the punk beside her looking down at the floor silently. He took the pen and signed the form, turning it back over to the doctor with a smile.

"That should be everything. We'll keep in contact with Max if that's alright? She'll need to come in for a few checkups to ensure she's recovering correctly - nothing too major." Garrett looked over at Max and saw her nod quietly with her own smile.

"It'll be fine." Max spoke and shuffled closer to Chloe, gripping onto her hand still.

"Very well, don't let me keep you any longer than I have to." Garrett stood up from his seat and walked over towards the door, opening it wide for the family - holding a smile on his face as he saw them pass. Ryan stopped himself feet away from the exit and turned towards the doctor, holding out his hand.

"Thank you for everything doc, you've been a godsend during this time." Ryan spoke as he shook Garrett's hand firmly.

"It's my job to ensure all my patients are safe and sound, no matter what their condition." Garrett lowered his hand and saw Ryan nod, leaving shortly afterwards.

He shut the door behind the family and walked over towards his desk, sitting himself down in his chair as he let out a quiet sigh. Has hands ran over the armrests as he relaxed, looking up at the door which was open moments ago, thinking over the argument he had heard outside before.

"That family has some issues to sort out."

* * *

The ride back to the Caulfield residence was filled with tense silence, the occasional sniffle breaking up the void as Vanessa did her best not to break up after what she had heard. How could she have been so stupid? Max and Chloe were inseparable since childhood, Ryan had already brought up the possibility of their daughters orientation _years_ ago - but she never could have accepted it. Why? Even she didn't know. She loved her daughter more than anything, yet her being a lesbian was almost a foreign concept to her. Deep down she wished that she was simply experimenting, that Chloe was only a side fling or whatever and their 'love' would break apart sooner rather than later. She hoped but she didn't know why.

"Vanessa? We're here, let's go." Ryan's voice broke the woman out of her thoughts, his hand shaking her shoulder slightly to get her attention.

"M-Mhm." Vanessa hummed out and took off her seatbelt slowly, her eyes resting on the front door of the Caulfield residence. Max and Chloe were already standing in front of the door, the tall punk carrying the brunette's bags as the two talked with a smile - their words ineligible due to how far away they stood from the car.

Ryan stepped beside the two girls talking quietly, their conversation dying away when he approached - a few moments of silence passed before the door finally swung open, allowing the Caulfields and Chloe to enter the house. Chloe had already seen the house before, courtesy of Ryan, and knew where Max's room was - she didn't spend long on walking herself up the stairs and dropping off the brunette's bags inside the room. Vanessa walked into the house quietly and went through her own motions of removing her jacket, her shoes and walking to the living room - she sat herself down on the couch and dropped her head into her hands.

Max saw how broken up her mother was - a part of her felt guilty for the words she used, for the way she came out to both her parents, but at the same time she felt good, happy that the most difficult part of it all was over. At least that's what she thought - she didn't really know how Vanessa would actually come to accept this all, whether she actually would, and what that would mean for Max.

"I-.. I'll be in my room with Chloe." Max spoke quietly and saw her father send her a look, his hands on his hips as he switched his gaze between his daughter and his wife.

"Max..- I'll take care of it." Ryan reassured his daughter and saw her send him a smile, walking up to him and giving him a hug.

"T-Thanks dad. I-.. I'm sorry." Max apologized quietly and felt the two hands give her a tight squeeze.

"Don't be, your mother will come to accept it - she just needs time." Ryan patted his daughter on the back and moved out of the hug, once again ruffling up her chestnut hair. "I'll call you downstairs for dinner."

"Oh..- Uhm. Can I bring it upstairs? I-.. I don't want to..- well." Max gestured towards her mother silently and heard her father nod.

"Alright. Now you go upstairs and do whatever you kids do when you're in love." Ryan teased and gave Max a wink, seeing her eyes widen in surprise at his words.

"Oh my dog, I did not just see _or_ hear that." Max slapped both her hands over her ears and bounded up the stairs to her room, hearing her father laugh even with her ear protection - her cheeks were rose tinted by the time she reached her door. She closed it behind herself and slumped against the wood, looking around the familiar room that she had spent so much of her teenage life in.

Posters of bands, movies and games hung all over - polaroid pictures were dotted around the entire place, a few of them creating a large polaroid wall above her bed. She saw that the entirety of her furniture was intact, everything in its place as she figured that her parents probably didn't move anything since she left for Blackwell all those months ago. The only thing different was the bluenette punk sitting cross legged on her bed, a wide smile present on her face as she kept staring at Max.

"Cool room, Maxipad. Too bad it ain't as cool as mine." Chloe spoke and saw her girlfriend approach with a smile, jumping onto the bed and very quickly crawling over the punk - her legs wrapping around her waist as she straddled the taller girl and sat on her lap.

The brunette nuzzled her face into the nook of Chloe's neck and wrapped her arms around her, holding on and letting out a quiet sigh. She was finally back in her house, months after the horror of Arcadia, after the road trip with her girlfriend, after all those little moments they spent together throughout that week. It felt great - despite all the heavy guilt that still hung over her for what happened. She didn't linger on it too long as she left a kiss on Chloe's neck and smiled.

"Feels nice to finally be back home." Max whispered and heard Chloe nod in agreement, her own two hands wrapped around the brunette as they held on tight.

"Feels nice to finally have you back. _Again._ " Chloe giggled as Max join her seconds later, the two joking about their situation.

"Mhm." Max left another kiss on Chloe's neck as she relaxed, the presence of the punk once again casting an aura of safety over the girl - even in her own house. After the infinite yet finite hell she had slept through she took in anything she could to help her feel good.

"So..- What now girlfriend? Plans?" Chloe spoke and left her own kiss on Max's temple, adjusting her position slightly so she could lean against the pillows that were present on the bed.

"Well..- not really, no. I kinda want to just relax for a few days first, get used to everything." Max scrunched up her eyebrows and inadvertently tickled Chloe, the punk letting out a quiet giggle and shiver at the sensation.

"I hear you." Chloe closed her eyes and rested her chin on Max's nest of chestnut hair, listening to the quiet sounds of the world outside the room they were sitting in.

They sat quietly as they enjoyed each other's embrace, their thoughts swimming through their heads as the silence helped them concentrate - their contact only being an extra boon that helped even further.

Max was thinking about all the different possibilities that she had right now. Perhaps she should follow Victoria's footsteps, begin work on a professional portfolio for university whilst she did her work from Blackwell? With the campus out of commission the surviving administration had agreed to continue their obligations of teaching, to finish marking their students work if it was sent in to them. Raymond Wells had sent his own email, stating very clearly that end of year exams would happen for students who wished to continue at Blackwell - suggesting that a venue could be rented to accommodate the student body that wished to do so. Whilst the academy was nearly destroyed in the storm, its stature was none the less impressive - it had a rich history of successful students that not even a freak timestorm could've erased.

Chloe meanwhile had wanted to do nothing more than to keep Max happy, keep her safe - do whatever it takes to achieve that. She didn't have life goals like her girlfriend - she didn't want to be a world-famous photographer, a world-famous waitress or a world-famous _anything_. She just wanted to be with Max - that was enough to keep her happy forever and she'd wade through fire and hell to ensure that happened.

"I should probably get in contact with Kristen or Fernando..-" Max spoke quietly as she ran her fingers across Chloe's back absentmindedly. "I doubt either of them know what the hell happened to me."

"Mm." Chloe hummed quietly and kept her eyes closed, allowing her girlfriend to continue talking as she had wanted to do nothing but listen to her voice.

"F-Fuck - I should post something on Facebook, or Twitter or something.." Max realised that to the wider world of Blackwell and everything else she was still probably dead, or still in a coma, or something that wasn't _alive or well_. "Everyone probably thinks I'm dead..-"

"Kate and Victoria don't. I doubt Victoria kept her trap shut about you knowing what she's like." Chloe spoke with hint of disdain in her voice - she still held a slight grudge to the ex-queen bee of Blackwell for all the shit she gave her when the punk attended the school.

"I s-suppose." Max nodded but reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone anyway. Her fingers ran across the cracked casing and screen - a souvenir of the accident. "I-.. I don't know what to say."

"Here, gimme." Chloe held out her hand and took Max's phone moments later, seeing the slight concern in her girlfriend's face. "Reeeelaaax, I'm not gonna do anything."

"I don't know about that..-" Max spoke nervously and saw as Chloe began to tap away at the screen, occasionally catching a glance of the bluenette doing something on Facebook. Only a few seconds later she began to grin as she finished her handiwork, closing the app and locking the phone - dropping it onto the bed behind her, out of Max's reach.

"Done." Chloe spoke and left a kiss on Max's nose, looking down at the girl with a wide smile.

"W-What did you do?" Max asked quietly and began to pressure herself against Chloe, trying to shift the bluenette towards the phone lying behind her.

"Noooooothing.." Chloe teased and pushed herself against Max to stop the brunette from grabbing the phone, her hands holding on tight as they squeezed the air out of her girlfriend. "Don't worry about it."

"D-Dog..- are you trying to crush me?" Max spoke as she tried to wriggle out of her girlfriends embrace, her hands inching ever so closer towards the idle phone on the blankets. With a bit of effort and one last push against the punk she had managed to snag the device.

"You drop that phone right now Caulfield." Chloe growled and moved her head below Max's, biting into her neck lightly as a warning. The brunette giggled but continued to unlock her phone, navigating to her Facebook app and opening up. Very quickly her expression went through a cycle of shock, fear, disappointment before it finally landed on a proud smile.

"R-Really Chlo?" Max moved herself back slightly and placed her forehead against Chloe's, seeing the punk with a wide grin on her face as her scheming was revealed. The brunette brought up the phone between the two and showed the screen to her girlfriend, still smiling herself because she wasn't particularly mad about what she did.

**Max Caulfield is now in a relationship with Chloe Price.**

"You're such a dork." Max whispered and gave Chloe an eskimo kiss as she bit her lip, dropping the phone back down between them without bothering to check her notifications.

"It gets the point across though, doesn't it? Tells people you're fine and alive whilst also telling them you're hella gay for me." Chloe retorted with her own eskimo kiss that she promptly followed up with an actual one - her lips lingering over Max's for a few seconds as they smiled.

"Mhm - that it does." Max cooed and felt the phone between them vibrate seconds later, followed by another one and shortly afterwards yet another. "Grooaaan. I'll deal with the fallout of this tomorrow, I can't be bothered doing this today."

"Good - I get you to myself then." Chloe wrapped her hands around Max again then dragged her down with her, falling onto her back and resting on the pillows with the brunette lying quietly on top of her, face nuzzled into the punk's chest in an instant.

"W-What..- What did you think about..?" Max asked quietly as she wasn't sure how to bring up their slightly awkward yet awesome coming out in front of Max's parents.

"Amazeballs." Chloe replied without hesitation and giggled.

"You being there helped. A lot." Max admitted and heard Chloe nodding through her giggles.

Yet again they went silent as they lazily cuddled on the bed, occasionally shifting in their positions to get more comfortable or to get some circulation before their limbs went numb. Max had once again through about what she could do now that she's technically free until she finishes her Blackwell courses in her own time. University was definitely a priority, but would she go to one in Seattle or would she be willing to move somewhere else? Would Chloe go with her or would they have to go long-distance for a while? Max wanted to stay beside Chloe the entire time, not trusting either herself or the punk not to do something stupid whilst their apart - the bluenette more so than the brunette. Throughout all of this there was one nagging thought at the back of her mind, the constant noise that kept snapping Max out of her concentration.

"I'm s-sorry about mom." Max whispered and heard Chloe's breath hitch for a few seconds, her chest stop moving as she took in a breath when she heard the words. "I didn't know she'd act like that..-"

"It's fine." Chloe gave Max a squeeze and closed her eyes, running one hand over her eyelids as she felt slightly tired from everything so far - especially carrying Max's bags around.

"I'm not going to allow her to blame you for that s-stupid crash." Max lifted up her head and shifted in her place, moving up slightly so she could rest her face in the nook of Chloe's neck instead. "It wasn't your fault, no matter what anyone says."

"Mm." Chloe simply hummed back and drifted her hands over Max's back to soothe the girl. "Y-You think she'll accept me as your girlfriend…?"

"She has to." Max replied in a stern tone and left a kiss on Chloe's neck. "She either accepts we're a couple or I'm moving out."

"Moving out? Where?" Chloe opened her eyes and felt her heart skip a beat at the mention of Max moving out of her parents house.

"U-Uhm..- I-.. I don't know." Max admitted after a few moments and burrowed her face further into Chloe's neck, wanting to find comfort in the girl. "S-Somewhere."

"Not exactly a place, Maximus."

"Well, whatever. She'll come to - dad will make sure of it.. I hope." Max lowered her voice as she didn't exactly hold much hope in reality. Her dad was good at persuading her mother, yes, but even the woman had drawn some pretty clear lines at times - lines that she simply didn't not cross and did not allow Max to cross, no matter what Ryan said.

Chloe let out a loud yawn and held her hand over her mouth, muffling the sound just a bit as she heard her girlfriend shuffling beneath her. Max herself was feeling sleepy, the few minutes she caught in hospital didn't account for much - especially after the drama that had happened afterwards, draining whatever reserves she had left.

"Let's catch some sleep, we've got another hour before food." Max whispered and closed her own eyes, nuzzling further into Chloe's neck and feeling the light squeeze she received in return.

* * *

Max fluttered her eyes open after she heard the phone notification ring out across the room again, the familiar twinkle of the punk's phone being almost deafening. Her hand quickly patted around Chloe's hip, trying to find the source of the sound, moments later slipping inside the punk's pocket and withdrawing her old smartphone. The brunette brought it up to her eyes and saw the various text messages she was getting from random names she'd only heard in passing - Annie, James, Darren. She groaned as she realised this was probably a result of her facebook shenanigans, smiling to herself afterwards and muting the old smartphone before dropping it back down on her bed.

"Checking my texts?" Chloe spoke sleepily as she had one eye half-open staring at Max going through her phone.

"Mhm..- gotta make sure you've been faithful to me." Max teased in her own quiet voice, slurring slightly as she let out a yawn - she felt much better after the short sleep that she had, more so attributing it to the fact that she fell asleep next to Chloe.

"Trust me - ain't nobody want a fuck up like me." Chloe joked at her own expense but winced slightly when she felt the grip around her waist tighten a bit too much.

"Don't say that." Max looked up from her nest in the nook of Chloe's neck, meeting the azure blue eyes with her deep blue as she sounded serious. "You're _not_ a fuck up."

"Mhm."

A silence fell upon the room whilst the two of them rested on the bed, taking comfort in each other's arms without any words exchanged. Chloe had eventually caught the whiff of food, albeit faint, but she knew that it was going to be something good - probably something made by Ryan as he was quite breakout chef from what she remembered.

"Dinner must be ready." Max began and slowly lifted herself out of Chloe's arms, despite the punks quiet pouting. The brunette looked back at her and giggled, further moving herself out her reach and eventually standing up from the bed - hands stretched out as she felt her joints popping in a few places.

"Any idea what it is?" Chloe asked as she propped herself up on her elbows, looking at Max wandering around her room.

"Something good, I guess…?" Max shrugged and reached her door after a few more moments, leaning forward on the door as she realised she'd probably have to speak to her father about things before she came back upstairs. "Uhm..- Can you put on some music?"

"You got it." Chloe called out as Max shut the door behind her.

The brunette quietly made her way down the stairs, scrunching up her face with each creak of the old wooden steps - she hadn't wanted to make her presence known for as long as possible, preparing herself for some kind of 'talk' with her dad. Her eyes kept drifting across the hallway beside the staircase, her gaze trying to find either the sight of her mother or father so she knew just how long she had exactly until judgement day. Finally she breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see anyone upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, moments later critical levels of anxiety flooded her as she realised that more than likely meant both her father and mother were together - probably talking about her and Chloe.

Quietly she made her way down the hallway and shot a glance at the living room at the very end, catching a glimpse of her mother still sitting quietly - waiting for someone. Her heart sank slightly at how defeated she looked, how sad and hopeless her once radiant mother looked. The guilt came rising back up as she knew that it was her that caused it, but she pushed it down when she reassured herself that she did it for Chloe and herself - it sucked but she had to get used to fighting for their relationship, especially after everything they went through.

"Max? Here for food?" Ryan's voice broke out from the otherwise silent kitchen. Max stopped in her steps and looked around, spotting her father near the kitchen island - already sorting out portions of whatever he cooked up.

"Uhm..- Yeah." Max spoke and approached the kitchen island, setting her hands down besides a plate she looked over the contents with a hungry smile. It was Ryan's famous cheese casserole, a simple yet filling meal that he had come to master over the years - it looked _delicious._

"How are you and Chloe?" Ryan asked quietly as he continued to dish out portions of the food onto the rest of the plates, looking down at his daughter.

"Uhm..- We're fine. J-Just shaken up after..- y'know." Max gestured towards the living room as she saw her father nod.

"Max..- I won't say this isn't a surprise. It's a hell of a surprise." Ryan put down the cooking tray with the cheese casserole, putting both his hands on the island as he himself looked forwards blankly. "We..- We never figured you'd be -.. Well."

"I know." Max replied and dropped her head into her hands, leaning forward on the island. "Do you..- Do you have a problem with it? Be serious with me - please."

"No. Honey, I will never have a problem with you, or who you love, no matter who they are." Ryan placed one hand on Max's shoulder and gave her a squeeze, a warm smile resting on his face.

"What about mom?"

"She..- She's still in shock." Ryan admitted and looked over at the doorway to the kitchen. "You have to understand Max..- you not only came out to both of us, but you also said that you were in love with the person who Vanessa had been putting the blame on for the past four months. I don't think the kiss helped either."

"Sorry."

"Don't be - if I had to say anything about it…- go _you_ girl.. That took some serious, _serious_ confidence to do that in front of your parents." Ryan chuckled quietly and saw his daughter smile in return, giggling herself moments later.

"Do you think..- will she accept me and Chloe...?" Max asked awkwardly as she looked up at her father, being met with yet another warm smile in return and a reassuring squeeze.

"She will, you're still her daughter and she loves you a lot - give her time to adjust and process the fact." Ryan let out a quiet sigh but held his smile.

"T-Thanks dad." Max moved in for a hug and held onto her father for a few seconds, giving him a squeeze to show her appreciation.

"Now..- before you go." Ryan moved out of the hug and held Max at an arm's length, hands on her shoulders as he looked over her. "Whilst your mother is still dealing with the facts, I think we need to set some basic ground rules for what is and isn't okay in this house when your girlfriend is around..-"

"Oh dog..- daaad."

"I'm serious. I have just one rule. Actually, make that two." Ryan corrected himself and saw Max furrow her eyebrows.

"Go on."

"Whilst me or your mother are here, the two of you will not _fool around_ if you catch my drift." Ryan began and instantly saw Max's cheeks fire up in colour. "Neither me or your mother have any interest in hearing..- y'know."

"Can you make this anymore awkward dad?" Max throw up her hands towards her cheeks as she tried to cover them, lowering her head through the quiet chuckle that Ryan let out.

"With that out of the way - Chloe will not be allowed to stay overnight at this house..-"

"But dad..-"

"No, Maxine." Ryan sternly said and saw his daughter visibly shrink in her place - she realised that her father wasn't going to budge on the issue, especially after he used her full name to emphasise his point.

"Alright - anything else?" Max mumbled out and dropped her hands beside her, still avoiding her father's gaze.

"Yes, there is one more thing I want to add. I didn't explicitly say that her not being allowed to stay overnight would be _permanent_." Ryan spoke and saw his daughter light up with a bit of hope, meeting his gaze halfway as a faint smile appeared on her face. "Just..- Just let me and your mother adjust to all of this, okay? We just got you back after some serious..- shit, pardon my language, and everything you revealed to us today is a lot to take in."

"That..- That's fine. Thanks." Max once again moved in for a hug, keeping it short and sweet before she grabbed two plates that were meant for her and Chloe.

"Remember what I said, and tell Chloe to cut your mother some slack too? She hasn't been the..- nicest let's say." Ryan coughed awkwardly and saw Max grin, the brunette quickly dropping the expression when she saw her father catching her.

"Will do." Max simply stated and made her way out of the kitchen, two plates in hand as she navigated her way towards the staircase.

Max stopped for a second and shot a look towards her mother again, the woman still quietly sitting by herself in the living room - head in her hands as the brunette could make out quiet sobs and sniffles. Her own heart wrenched in her place as she yet again reminded herself that she was the cause of her mother's breakdown, but as before she repeatedly pressed it down when she reassured herself that she did it for her and Chloe. She quietly walked up the stairs and heard music playing behind her door at the top of the landing, struggling to open the thing with both her hands full - eventually she managed to stumble into the room by pressing her hip against the door hard enough.

"There's my cute nerd." Chloe called out over the soft strumming of the music, looking up from the bed she was lying on with a smirk. "I was worried you already suffered from your first amnesia episode."

"Ha-ha." Max sarcastically called back as she approached her girlfriend, sitting herself down beside her as she handed her a plate with the food. The brunette scrambled onto the bed and sat down cross legged, facing Chloe as she looked over the punk for a few seconds.

"Mm..- looks and smells awesome." Chloe spoke as she took her fork and wasted no time in digging into her serving. Immediately she regretted it as the casserole was still scalding hot, nearly dropping her plate as her eyes watered and she started to frantically move the food around in her mouth to cool it down. " _Hot!"_

"No shit Sherlock, dad barely took it out of the oven." Max spoke through her laughter as she watched Chloe struggle for a few more seconds. Finally she gulped loudly and almost whined out in pain as the hot food made its way down her throat, burning her a bit more before finally ending in her stomach.

"Caulfield..- I have suffered burns." Chloe spoke quietly and stuck her tongue out towards the still laughing brunette. "Don't laugh, this is tragic! It _hurts_."

"Aw.. Chloe got a boo-boo?" Max teased and took a much smaller bite out of her food, chewing slowly as she winced under the heat still radiating from the small amount she took.

"It tastes hella good at least..-" Chloe scooped up some more of her food and chewed it much more carefully this time, making sure to cool it down a bit before actually inviting it into her mouth.

The two girls ate their food quietly, occasionally laughing at each other as the other suffered from burns. Quiet music continued to play out of Max's hifi on her desk, mostly indie rock bands from CD's that Chloe had found whilst Max was talking with Ryan. The sound of cutlery against plates was the only other defining sound that had echoed around the room alongside the music and laughter. Max lost herself in her thoughts, going over what she spoke with her father, her mother's reaction, her current state and the diagnosis she was given by her doctor hours ago. It was all quite a lot to take in for one day, so in the end she decided to abandon her pursuits and instead focused on Chloe.

"What?" Chloe asked and raised her eyebrow as she chewed, watching Max watch her. The brunette shrugged and took another bite of her own serving.

"Nothing. Just..- nevermind." Max looked away and stared at her window instead, seeing the sky that had already turned dark outside - the Seattle skyline lighting up the not-so-far horizon.

"Hey." Chloe spoke up and lowered her plate, drifting her hand across and resting it on Max's knee - giving the brunette a squeeze to get her attention. "Whats up?"

"I'm fine..- just thinking." Max confessed and put down her own plate, pushing it slightly to the side as she lost her appetite.

Chloe understood after a second and took Max's plate, rising from the bed and placing the two of them on Max's desk across the room. The punk kept her eyes locked on the hipster sitting on the bed, quietly humming to herself and drawing random outlines on the blanket - Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips, trying to think of some way to cheer up her girlfriend. Her face lit up moments later as she shuffled over towards the bed, grabbing Max's hand and giving it a tug.

"C'mere." Chloe softly spoke and tugged at Max's hand again, watching as the brunette reluctantly stood up moments later - the punk slowly pulled the girl into her embrace and began to move the two of them towards the hifi.

"What are you doing?" Max whispered as she nuzzled her face into Chloe's chest, watching the girl start messing around with the buttons and dials on her stereo - skipping through songs as she was on the lookout for something mellow. Finally soft strumming echoed out of the speakers, followed my equally soft lyrics being spoken alongside the rhythm.

**_** ...Take me to the docks, there's a ship without a name there_ **   
**_And it is sailing to the middle of the sea_ **   
**_The water there is deeper than anything you've ever seen_ **   
**_Jump right in and swim until you're free... **_ **

Max found herself being moved side to side moments later, Chloe's hands resting on her hips lazily as her face burrowed into the brunette's chestnut hair. The two of them went silent as they listened to the music and danced slowly, limiting themselves to simply swaying in each others embrace whilst the song continued to play.

"H-How's Vanessa…?" Chloe whispered as she kept the two of them going, shuffling the couple around the room slightly every once in awhile.

"Last I saw her... she was crying. Probably because of me." Max mumbled back and closed her eyes, melting herself into Chloe's embrace with a weak smile. "Definitely because of me."

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Chloe spoke back softly and once again changed the direction they were swaying in.

**_** ...I will remember your face_ **   
**_'Cause I am still in love with that place_ **   
**_But when the stars are the only things we share_ **   
**_Will you be there?... **_ **

"D-Dad spoke to me about her..- about us." Max confessed and felt their rhythm get slightly lost as Chloe obviously tensed up at the mention of their relationship.

"What…- What did he say?" Chloe quickly found their rhythm back as once again she led them in the dance, her hands running up from Max's hips to the small of her back as she held onto the girl.

"Just some stuff."

"Stuff?" Chloe asked curiously and heard Max let out a sigh.

"Like you can't stay overnight. You know. Normal relationship things parents say to their kids." Max sounded disappointed and further nuzzled her face into Chloe's shirt, eyes still closed as she tried to hold back her frustration.

"It's fine." Chloe squeezed Max in her arms and continued their sway to the quiet beat of the music. "Not really a surprise, is it?"

"No..- I'm just annoyed. I was hoping to spend the first night out of the hospital with you - I got used to it over our road trip I guess." Max confessed and heard Chloe chuckle quietly.

"We'll have plenty of time to spend nights together, don't worry girlfriend." Chloe assured Max with her promise, changing their sway again with the beat of the song.

**_** ...Money came like rain to your hands while you were waiting_ **   
**_For that cold long promise to appear_ **   
**_People in the churches started singing above their hands_ **   
**_They say, "My god is a good god and he cares"... **_ **

"Mom is gonna get over it apparently. That's what dad says anyway." Max continued as she listened to the lyrics being sung, immersing herself further in the quiet moment between her and Chloe.

"What do you think?"

"I..- I don't know. Maybe. She's stubborn." Max replied in a whisper and did her best to hold back any tears she might shed. A concept ran around in her head, a possible situation that might arise in the event Vanessa didn't accept her relationship with Chloe - What if she had to choose between her mother or her girlfriend? Would she be willing to chose her love over her family? She sniffled quietly, catching the attention of the punk during their dance.

"Hey, it'll be okay." Chloe stopped their dance for a moment as she squeezed Max even tighter, receiving a squeeze back momentarily. "She'll get over it."

"I h-hope." Max nodded and sniffled again, running one hand under her eyes to wipe away any stray tears she might've shed. "If she does..- oh dog, I can only imagine the mouthful I'll get."

"Heh." Chloe chuckled again and resumed their light swaying, turning the couple around a few times playfully to get Max to giggle or smile. It worked.

"W-What.. What if this amnesia crap strikes at a time like this…?" Max asked after a few seconds of quiet contemplation, trying to clear her head of worries with the help of Chloe. The punk let out a quiet sigh and shrugged.

"I dunno. Guess we'll have to work out some sort of failsafe or something, right? Maybe just drop what we're doing, cuddle until you come back to yourself?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows and heard Max giggle at her suggestion, giving her a squeeze of appreciation.

"I think you just want to do more sappy stuff with me using my amnesia as an excuse." Max pointed out and heard Chloe hitch her breath momentarily - the brunette burst out in quiet laughter as she looked up and saw the flustered punk, a first in her books.

"D-Don't you start this again Caulfield. I am _not_ a sap."

"You soooo are. Dancing to indie music whilst talking in whispers? Please."

"Why do I even bother?"

**_** ...I will remember your face_ **   
**_'Cause I am still in love with that place_ **   
**_When the stars are the only things we share_ **   
**_Will you be there?... **_ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided that I'm going to make these chapters weekly updates considering their length and how busy I am IRL RN - maybe I'll sneak in two chapters per week if things start to calm down, dunno yet.
> 
> \- :) WinTTY


	16. Pursuit of Happiness

“Chloe!”

Chloe spun around on her heel, phone in hand as she was already typing away a message. Her eyes gazed over at the blonde making her way over with a wide smile as she pointed towards the punk accusingly. Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion, seeing the smirk developing on her coworker's face.

“Uh… what is it?” Chloe asked as Annie stopped about two feet away from her, jabbing her finger into Chloe’s arm.

“Tell me about this mysterious Max. I’m curious,” Annie spoke as she moved her hands towards her chest and crossed over her arms. “You’ve refused to say _anything_ for the past 2 days, you can’t hold out on us _forever._ ”

“Can’t this wait? It’s Valentine's Day and I’ve got a date,” Chloe remarked and saw Annie’s smirk develop into a full-blow one. “C’mon Annie, give a girl a break.”

“Just a tidbit… pweaseee?” Annie pleaded and clasped both her hand together, begging the punk - she was nosey and curious at the same time.

“Goddamnit. Fine, what do you want to know?” Chloe crossed her arms and looked down at the blonde, hiding her annoyance well. “Make it quick.”

“Is she cute? Is she shorter than you? Have you two already had-”

“That’s enough.” Chloe shot her hand forward and covered Annie’s mouth, suppressing the blush that threatened to appear at such a sudden onslaught of personal questions. “I will answer _one._ ”

“But-”

“I have a _date_ Annie - no time.” Chloe brought up her finger to her wrist and tapped her imaginary watch.

“Fiiiiiine. Is she cute?” Annie batted her eyelashes in an attempt to tease the punk, bursting out in laughter at the scowl she received. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes, she’s _very_ cute. Now get out of my way.” Chloe reached over to the side and grabbed her jacket from the locker she stood near.

“Fine - you owe me a _very thorough_ questioning session though.” Annie lightly shoved Chloe as she dropped her smirk.

“Yeah, yeah - you’ll get your answers.” Chloe sighed, fumbling around with her leather jacket as she put it on after a few moments of struggling. “Am I free to go now or are you going to make me beg?”

“Tempting… but no.” Annie giggled and then stepped out of the way, allowing the punk the step past towards the exit. “I fully expect you and your girlfriend to attend my 18th in a week though!”

“I’ll consider it.”

“No, you _will_ be attending with your girlfriend - no two ways about it.” Annie stomped down and feigned anger in her expression, causing Chloe to chuckle as she opened the door.

“Alright, whatever - we’ll be there then.” Chloe dismissed the girl with one hand and shut the door behind her, ignoring the sudden waft of cold air from the alley she had stepped into.

With a spring in her step and a purpose, Chloe set off on her journey back home - waiting for her bus at the bus stop just a block away, tapping away at her smartphone as her and Max exchanged conversation. Continuing their text-based session whilst Chloe sat on the bus, she occasionally looked out of the window to ensure she didn’t miss her stop.

* * *

 

Eventually the bus stopped and her legs promptly took her out and lead her back towards her house. After a few more minutes she finally arrived, opened the door and shut it behind her.

Her jaw dropped slightly.

Joyce stood nearby with a black one-piece dress, applying makeup to herself with the help of the mirror hung on the wall. Her eyes caught the sight of her daughter standing stunned behind her as she let out her warm smile.

“Darlin’, how’re you doing?” Joyce’s southern drawl spilled out and knocked Chloe out of her daze.

“O-Oh, uhm... I’m fine. Jeez, what’s with the getup?” Chloe approached slowly and looked up and down her mother’s appearance, still slightly slack jawed.

“David is taking me out today.” Joyce replied with her smile as she continued to apply makeup. Chloe raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. “We may not be young, but we still enjoy going out you know.”

“I... I didn’t say anything. Just... damn. That’s all. You look good, seriously.” Chloe held an awkward smile as she raised up her thumbs, causing her mother to let out a chuckle.

David appeared down the hallway in a smart suit, tying a tie around his collar as he shot a glance at Chloe.

“Hey Chloe.” David simply spoke out as he approached Joyce and stood beside her, helping himself in the mirror slightly.

“Uh. Wow.” Chloe took a few steps up the stairs and looked back at Joyce and David again, giving them a half-hearted wave. “Have fun I guess.”

“Sweetheart, have _you_ got a date…?” Joyce called out and looked back up at her daughter, doing her best to not grin. Joyce already knew.

“Uh. No.” Chloe mentally slapped herself for lying - she hadn’t told either Joyce or David about her relationship with Max, but she was pretty sure that they had the general idea of it. Still - it wouldn’t hurt to officially release such information, would it? Chloe wasn’t so sure after seeing Vanessa’s reaction only a few days ago. “I’m all alone today. Have fun.”

“Don’t wreck the house!” David shouted as he heard the door slam upstairs.

Chloe quickly began to undress, throwing her uniform in the dirty laundry bag she had set up in the corner of her room. She ran her hands over the various shirts and tank tops she could wear to her outing with Max today - she explicitly stated that she hadn’t wanted her girlfriend to overdo her attire as she herself wasn’t so bothered about what they wore. It worked for Chloe - she _hated_ dressing up all nice and fancy.

Eventually, she settled something that looked casual on her - a black tanktop with an Anthrax logo, some torn jeans with her famous suspenders and of course her leather jacket. She looked herself over in the body mirror she had placed against the wall, biting her lip as she was unsure whether Max would like it. She didn’t want to dress up nice and fancy, yes, but she wanted to look good for her girlfriend. Then again, would Max really complain what she wore considering they’re not even going anywhere remotely fancy?

“Whatever,” she mumbled and snatched her black beanie from the desk, shoving it over her hair and brushing her blue strands out of her face.

Her fingers tapped away at her smartphone again as she sent a message.

**Chloe:** u rdy?

**Chloe:** omw anyway nerd x

* * *

 

Max slid off her bed with a groan as she read the message - she was still only wearing her shorts and white tee, her basic sleepwear. Her hair was still wet from the shower she had only 30 minutes ago, chestnut strands stuck slightly to her forehead as it all glistened in the sun that shone through her windows.

She was nervous - this was _technically_ going to be her first proper date with Chloe. They _did_ go to a nightclub in Spokane, _yes_ , and they _did_ go on a roadtrip together, _yes_ , and not to mention the fact they had their _first time_ together, _also yes_ . Yet... Chloe never took Max out for just a walk to the park to just talk and be together, out to dinner or the cinema or... _Wowser,_ she thought and dropped her head back down, _some of those sure do sound like dates now that I think about it._

“Guess I _have_ been on a date before,” she mused and raised her head with a smile, skipping over to her wardrobe and opening it wide.

Having insisted on a casual date, she didn’t want to spend forever on putting on makeup, finding the right fancy clothes and forcing her girlfriend to find an appropriate enough restaurant for them both. Simple worked for her and Chloe - she had full trust in her girlfriends ability to make _anything_ work as a date.

As she browsed her clothes she heard her phone buzz multiple times, indicating Chloe’s inability to stay out of contact with Max now that she was finally out of her coma. She herself was still on the first few steps of recovery - her weight had mostly remained the same, her skin had yet to return to its slightly less-pale colour and she still stumbled a few times over the past few days as her brain forgot how to move her limbs.

No amnesia attacks _yet_ \- for that she was _certainly_ glad.

Max finally settled on her usual go-to hipster combo - a plain baby blue shirt, a light gray hoodie and some skinny jeans. It wasn’t the most impressive hipster gear, sure, but she never did consider herself a die-hard hipster despite Chloe’s teasing insults. She shuffled herself out towards her desk and grabbed her slightly torn up camera bag - packing it extremely lightly with only her wallet, a few other items and of course her polaroid camera.

Williams polaroid camera. The one that had somehow miraculously survived the car crash four months ago.

Momentarily she bit her lip as she looked over the camera in her hands, running her fingers over the small slit at the front where the photos usual slid out of. She hadn’t used it since she had gotten back from hospital - now was as good as time as any, right?

 

_*snap*_

_*whirr*_

 

The silvery polaroid slid out of the front as Max grabbed it with her fingers, waving it around to fulfil her quirky desire, and finally looking down at it. The picture was a simple selfie she had just taken in the mirror - a wide, goofy grin on her face present and her cheeks slightly rosy from the nervousness of the upcoming date. She pocketed the polaroid and the camera in her bag, turning to her door and exiting.

When she arrived in the living room she had found the house empty - her parents had left only a few hours ago due to work, promising to leave the house empty until nearly midnight. Max had blushed at Ryan’s obvious suggestion when she saw his wink, but didn’t think too much into it.

Vanessa though…

Vanessa was still distant. Neither her nor Max had shared a single word since the brunette returned home - Ryan assured his daughter that her mother _was_ coping, it was still a heavy surprise to her though. Max did her best not to blame herself for her mother's state on top of everything else she had already tried to pile onto her ‘ _It’s my fault_ ’ list.

In an attempt to pass time she sat herself down on the couch and flicked through some TV channels, pausing occasionally as she caught snippets of still ongoing news reports on the destruction of Arcadia Bay.

_“... environmental specialists are still bewildered months later after the destruction of a dreamy coastside town, Arcadia Bay, in an unforeseen and unpredicted megastorm. Leading environmental think tanks had already put out a number of theories that put the blame on…”_

“Me.”

Max dropped her head momentarily and then shook her head.

She promised Chloe that she wouldn’t blame herself for what happened. Promised that she wouldn’t blame herself for _her_ choice, for the amount of death _she_ caused, for all the people she knew that _she_ sentenced to death - Warren, Justin, Trevor, Alyssa, Evan... so _many_ more that she _didn’t_ know.

The TV was promptly turned off as Max had no desire to begin her spiral of self-deprecation right now. She had a date to look forward to - a date with the girl she had saved in exchange for an entire town. _Gah!_ _J-just... stop fucking thinking about this shit Caulfield_ , she thought and lightly swatted her temple in frustration, _you’ve nothing to be guilty of._

Just then the doorbell rang and saved her from her thoughts. Momentarily she scrambled over the sofa and nearly landed straight down on her face when her foot was caught on the half-step between the living room and hallway. Her hands shot out towards the handle and swung the front door open to meet the person on the other side.

Chloe stood quietly with her hands behind her back, a smirk already present on her face as she stayed quiet.

“Chloe!” Max exclaimed and jumped forward, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and her legs around her waist in a surprising show of agileness despite her condition.

“Woah!” Chloe huffed out and quickly dropped her hand down under Max’s thighs to hold her up, stumbling back in her step as she tried to look at the brunette wrapped around her.

“I missed you,” Max whispered and began to pepper her girlfriend with kisses, giggling in between when she saw Chloe accepting them gladly.

“I was only gone for like a day Maximus, work and shit.” Chloe joined the giggles as she hoisted up Max slightly and took a few steps forward, entering the house and shutting the door with her foot.

“A day too long,” Max simply stated and left another few kisses on Chloe’s cheeks, finishing with a peck on the lips. Her grip loosened and her legs dropped back down as Chloe slowly lowered back down onto her feet.

“Damn girl, you been putting on weight,” Chloe teased as she held Max in her arms still, not letting the girl go even after helping her down from their embrace.

“Uh-huh, you calling me fat now? Right before our date?” Max narrowed her eyes, hearing as Chloe burst out in laughter moments later.

“No...” Chloe whispered as she moved in closer, resting her forehead against Max’s. “Still, you gotta put on _some_ weight - can’t be a bony ass forever.”

“I thought you liked my bony ass?” Max quirked her eyebrow with a smile, strutting her hips side to side. “Not good enough for you anymore?”

“ _Always_ good enough for me,” Chloe whispered again and then allowed her hand to drift down, cupping Max’s ass before giving it a quick slap.

“ _Chloe!_ ”

Chloe simply burst out laughing and let go of Max, watching as her brunette girlfriend spun on her heel and stormed off down the hallway. She pocketed her hands and slumped against the wall near the front door, watching the hallway intently as she waited for Max to reappear. Less than a minute later she came around the corner with her camera bag slung over her shoulder, the jingle of house keys echoing out from her hand as she smiled straight at Chloe.

“You got everything?” Chloe asked and followed her girlfriend as she opened the door and stepped outside.

“If by everything you mean my wallet and camera, then yes,” Max replied and closed the door behind them, locking it with one swift motion.

“What do you need your wallet for?” Chloe asked and then slung one arm across Max’s shoulders, pulling her in tight.

“To buy-”

“You’re not buying me anything.” Chloe ended Max’s line instantly before it had even began. Max scrunched up her face and narrowed her eyes as she looked towards her girlfriend.

“Chloe, I want to-”

“Nope. Not having it Maximillion - I’m your sugar momma,” Chloe stated and gave Max another squeeze. “You can buy me things for my birthday or something, otherwise I don’t want you to be spending money on me.”

“You can’t stop me from using my own money,” Max retorted and jabbed a finger into Chloe’s side, wrapping her arm around her waist afterwards. “Then again… I _do_ like the sound of having a sugar momma.”

“You do?”

“Do I have to repay you with… favours?” Max’s voice dropped into a sultry undertone. Chloe burst out laughing and left a kiss on Max’s temple.

“Depends on the favour girlfriend,” Chloe held a smirk as she spoke, looking ahead at the empty suburb street they were walking down.

* * *

 

“Ohmigod,” Max blurted out and brought her hand over her mouth, trying to stop herself from staying anything else stupid. Her cheeks were rosy red from embarrassment as she held the single rose in one hand, bringing it close and giving a quiet sniff.

“Why are you so embarrassed? It’s only a rose Max.” Chloe giggled as she spoke, giving Max a squeeze as she led them down the path. “A rose for my _b-e-a-utiful_ nerd.”

“J-just... just shush.” Max shook her head with a smile and looked around the park. Noticing that nobody was looking, she stood on her tiptoes and gave Chloe a quick peck on the cheek as thanks. “Thank you.”

“That’s all I get?” Chloe pouted as she looked at Max. “One kiss? Listen here - we gotta talk about these money-to-favour conversion rates-”

Max rolled her eyes and stood on her tiptoes again, kissing Chloe’s lips instead as they clashed in tandem. Chloe made a point of keeping Max close as she pulled her in and kissed back with ferocity, playfully tugging at her lower lip for a few moments before moving away with a smile.

“That’s more like it.” Chloe chuckled and turned back towards the path, continuing to lead them through the park.

“I’m glad that you didn’t book some fancy place for us,” Max stated as her eyes travelled around them, focusing on the few other couples walking through the park at the time. She smiled when she received the squeeze moments later, followed by a kiss on her temple again.

“You know me - I hate dressing up all fancy and shit,” Chloe replied and as she inhaled some of the fresh air. “I can’t stand wearing all that stuff - gets way too clammy and uncomfortable.”

“Not just that. I j-just wanted to spend some time walking, talking and w-whatever else,” Max confessed and heard Chloe snicker. “Hey!”

“What? I didn’t say anything.” Chloe defended herself with one hand as Max swatted her shoulder with a giggle.

“I’m serious Chlo. I’d rather just walk with you and talk than go to some nice restaurant in downtown Seattle.” Max slumped her head to the side and rested it against her girlfriend's shoulder as she spoke.

“I know Maxaroon. I’d rather do that too,” Chloe replied and then turned her head to the side, hovering inches away from Max’s ear. “I’d also like to take you home, strip you down and-”

Chloe winced and pulled her head back in laughter as she felt the elbow jab against her side in an instant.

“Absolute, honest-to-god perv.” Max breathed out with a sigh and listened to Chloe laughing for a few more seconds.

The two of them continued their quiet walk through the park, occasionally speaking about things happening around them, posters for upcoming events around the city and descending down into flurries of kisses and multitudes of tickle attacks exclusively started by Chloe. Time flew by as they spent another hour or so in the park before Max had wanted to change the topic slightly.

“Chlo?” Max asked sheepishly, unsure of some things that were floating through her mind at the moment.

“Mhm?” Chloe hummed out and tugged her beanie down, adjusting it slightly so it covered her hair better.

“I just want to ask… H-how... how do you feel about everything? Like... I mean... A-Arcadia and s-stuff,” Max stuttered at the mention of Arcadia, feeling the pang of guilt in her chest for bringing up the topic. Chloe hitched her breath momentarily but then let out a long drawn one, squeezing Max’s shoulder and kissing her temple.

“I’m much better than I was back then. Like - a million times better.” Chloe dropped her gaze and watched her feet lazily lead them down the path, kicking up some gravel in the process. “It still majorly sucks. All the funerals, a-all the people that d-died. It wasn’t pretty when it all came crashing upon me when I arrived in Seattle.”

“H-How... how did you handle it?” Max raised an eyebrow and nuzzled her face in Chloe’s arm, knowing that the punk wanted a bit of comfort without even showing it.

“Bad at first. With you in a coma I had nobody to talk to. At least I had nobody until Joyce and David arrived like a week later. That helped me a lot - I was happy to see them both. Even David.” Chloe sighed and looked up at the sky, squinting at the sun peeking through the light cloud cover. “I had a major breakdown like a week after that - straight up locked myself in a bathroom stall in the hospital and bawled my eyes out for a solid couple of hours. They h-had to bring in staff and shit, even called the cops to try and calm me down.”

Max kept silent as she listened to Chloe talk, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of her head - the voice that kept whispering that it was her fault all of this happened.

“I got over it. I had a fight with Vanessa, got my shit together in a few days and applied for a GED at a community college in downtown Seattle. Took like like two weeks to study for it and shit, mostly lingering around libraries to read up on all the different textbooks and shit they recommended. Passed it and instantly applied for jobs.” Chloe continued and ran a hand through her hair, taking her beanie off and deciding to shove it over Max’s head instead.

“Hey!” Max protested with a giggle but didn’t stop Chloe, instead she pulled the beanie down so that it covered her ears - nuzzling back into her burrow.

“I got the job at the restaurant, been at it since. I regularly visited you, just kept silent and held your hand and shit. You know - sappy, mushy, icky stuff. Eugh.” Chloe huffed out a breath with a smile, dropping her head to look at the path again.

“Do you… do you ever have doubts about...?” Max asked with a grim, saddened tone. Immediately she felt Chloe stop and pull Max around to face her.

“Max - I never doubted your decision and I never will. I... I _had_ wanted to sacrifice myself, yeah. That was before what you told me though.” Chloe looked straight at Max, focusing her azure-blue eyes on Max’s deep-blue. “You chose what _you_ thought was right. That's what matters - not what society thinks would’ve been right, fuck all that.”

“It’s just that today there was this t-thing on the TV about Arcadia and... I dunno. I guess a big part of myself still blames myself for everything that happened.” Max mumbled and crashed her head against Chloe’s chest as she pulled her into an embrace.

“It wasn’t you blaming yourself, was it though? It was shit in your head - just cast that aside. I’ll always be by your side to help you through it all, so don’t hesitate to tell me and I’ll knock the shit out of those thoughts immediately.” Chloe smiled and swayed their bodies side to side slightly, causing Max to giggle quietly. “You’re doing great so far, so keep fighting this and you’ll eventually accept that it was bullshit out of your control.”

“T-Thanks. I guess I needed that. Four months in a coma wasn’t exactly a great place to think over this stuff,” Max admitted and heard the dry chuckle escape Chloe’s lips.

“I hear you.” Chloe stepped out of the embrace and slung her arm around Max’s shoulders again, starting their walk down the path again. “Now, I think we’ve walked enough girlfriend - dunno about you but my legs are starting to kill me.”

“You got more plans for us?” Max smiled as she looked up at her girlfriend and received a quick kiss in return.

“Well… I _do_ have these here tickets…” Chloe grinned as she took out a pair of cinema tickets, flashing them in front of Max. “I did promise to take you to the cinema, didn’t I?”

“Keeping a promise you made 4 months ago? Colour me impressed.” Max giggled and slumped her head back down on her girlfriend's shoulder. “Lead the way my fair knight.”

“As my lady wishes.” Chloe took a deep bow, eliciting a laugh from Max.

* * *

 

Popcorn and drinks in hand, Chloe led the two of them down into the screening room. It was fairly large and already filled mostly. Furrowing her eyebrows, Chloe released a quiet groan as she realised this might have happened. Of course it would happen. They _were_ going to see a Disney movie.

There were children _everywhere,_ mostly with their parents or grandparents, and they were being kinda loud. But that’d probably stop come the movie, but still… Chloe wasn’t a fan of this. Perhaps they should just back out.

“Hey, y’know, maybe we should-”

“Nope,” Max interrupted her and then took initiative as she smirked, leading them to the furthest row away from the screen - right at the top of the stairs. “You’re not backing out now, Price.”

Chloe groaned again. “Damn,” she whispered as the two of them snaked their way right into the middle of the row. Sitting down, she took Max’s drink and watched as her girlfriend sat herself down after a few seconds of rummaging through her pockets for something.

They spent a few minutes just talking quietly about the movie. Max was still in slight disbelief at the choice; Frozen, a _Disney_ movie of all things. A Disney movie was the last thing Max expected Chloe to choose for them, but she defended herself and said that it was ‘hella good’. Max just rolled her eyes at that and teased that Chloe was still just a child at heart.

“Shush now,” Chloe whispered when the trailers were over. The movie had begun, and immediately the two of them started snacking on their popcorn, having acquired an extra large tub. “It’s gonna be great, you’ll see.”

“Sure,” Max replied and went quiet.

With the quiet between them, Max had some time to think about the day so far. She smiled to herself when she remembered Chloe’s incessant pestering until she’d agreed to allow her to buy Max a rose. It was… nice. She was still acclimating to things - a coma will do that to a person - and having something like that happen… raised her spirits, to say the least. She still had a long way to go, sure, but she was sure that with Chloe… it’d be easy. Well. Maybe not _easy,_ but _bearable._

As the movie went on, Chloe and Max found themselves laughing and watching intently. Max was actually surprised at how good the movie was; Chloe wasn’t lying! At some of the quieter points, Max found herself stealing glances at her girlfriend - eyes open with adoration as she silently watched her enjoy the movie. Then, at other points, Chloe stole her own glances. Though she wasn’t as subtle, and quickly followed up her gazes with soft kisses that she applied to Max’s forehead.

It was nice.

Then as the scenes were winding down, Max found herself getting more touchy-feely than usual. Not lying to herself, she’d always found the prospect of making out in the back of a cinema to be… kinda romantic? Definitely daring, especially for somebody like her, but she couldn’t really deny herself. She deserved this after everything that happened. So with a quiet breath, she began to kiss her way up Chloe’s neck.

“Max…?” Chloe whispered and turned her head sideways, watching Max look at her in the relative darkness of the room. Eyes glancing between her face and her lips, she realised what Max was asking for, and she herself couldn’t rely deny the feeling. So she did what she had to.

They’d met in the middle, kissing slowly and gently at first - one hand on the others cheek, guiding their faces into it. Chloe silently thanked that they were sitting alone in the back, she definitely wouldn’t have risked this had any parents been around them. Perhaps sometimes she was all daring and bravado, but that was mostly a cover; she still very much blushed and got embarrassed, especially as Max’s sass and confidence spiked.

Not sure how long they actually kissed for, they were both broken out of their liplock by a very loud cough.

Chloe was, surprisingly, the first one to blush. Well hidden by the darkness though, she managed a half-smirk and half-apologetic smile towards the woman sitting in front of them. Her kids were sat on either side, but neither was looking at them - too entranced in the ending of the movie - so at least they were spared the show.

Max, just like her girlfriend, blushed but instead of confronting the woman - she simply looked away, embarrassed. She knew the risks of making out, knew that it might’ve been inappropriate in a room full of kids and their parents or grandparents, but… she liked it. It was somewhat thrilling.

Of course, it was also romantic - just like she’d thought it’d be.

“Maxie, you lil’ devil,” Chloe whispered once the woman had looked back towards the movie. “Makin’ out in a room full of kids and their old folks? Takes some courage.”

“Shush!” Max scolded her, but couldn’t help and giggle. “Did… did ya like it?” she asked.

Chloe scoffed. “What do you think, nerd?”

Max simply smiled, leaned up and gave her another quick kiss. Then she settled into her side and focused back on the movie - or at least what was left of it.

When the movie finished, Max and Chloe were the first ones out of the theatre - perhaps simply wanting to escape any judging glances from other parents who might’ve seen their small show. Hand in hand, they dumped their uneaten snacks and drinks before leaving.

“So, uh…” Chloe began and rubbed the back of her head, unsure how to continue. “That was kinda it for my idea of the day. Sooo…”

“I liked it,” Max admitted. It was true too - she’d genuinely enjoyed the day so far and it was perhaps her favourite Valentine’s too. That however was kinda easy to beat considering she’d never actually _had_ a Valentine, save for that one time that Chloe and her-

Max stopped her thoughts and furrowed her eyebrows. Wait a _second._

“Chloe?” she asked as they’d began to walk in a random direction, her hand around Chloe’s waist as her girlfriend in turn held her arm over her shoulder.

“W’sup?”

“Do you remember when we were 13?” Max continued, trying to bite her tongue as not to laugh. There is no way that Chloe wasn’t testing the waters back then.

“Vaguely, yeah,” she replied and looked at Max, confused. Just what was she thinking?

“Do you remember Valentine's day?” Max continued and immediately burst into giggles as Chloe opened her eyes wide.

Coughing, she nodded and looked away - slightly embarrassed. “Y-yeah,” she said and shrugged. “Just… what are you askin’, huh?”

“Were you my first Valentine?” Max asked and held up a dorky grin. “You weren’t pretend dating me, were you?”

Chloe coughed again and squeezed her eyes shut. Running a hand over her face, she groaned loudly and then looked up at the sky; laughing to herself. “I mean… kinda, yeah, not really?”

Max laughed herself and buried her head into her chest for a brief second. “Oh my god,” she mumbled and shook her head. “I can’t believe this-”

“Maaaax,” Chloe groaned and nosed herself up in her chestnut hair. “You’re making me blush-”

“I was just curious,” Max said and looked up, all smug and victorious. “I really was kinda oblivious, huh?”

“Oblivious?” Chloe exclaimed and smacked her own forehead. “Max, you were a dolt! I literally asked you to spend Valentine's day with me, and you thought it was just a pretend date or summin’. So, y’know… I just played along with it.”

Max laughed even harder, both at Chloe’s ever-growing blush and at the memory of her own obliviousness in her past. “That’s actually tragic,” she mumbled as she wiped away the happy tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Yeah,” Chloe murmured into her hair, pulled back and looked at Max. “I don’t think I’d ever felt more friendzoned than back then. I lost my stride and… y-yeah. It’s kinda why I waited a few months before I wanted to confess, but then… y’know… dad and… yeah.”

Watching her closely, Max went silent and eventually nodded. She didn’t mean for their conversation to steer towards Chloe’s dad, but sometimes old memories sprung him forward and… well, Chloe still didn’t take well to them, nearly six years on.

“Can I go see the new Price residence?” Max asked quietly, her voice muffled against Chloe’s tank top.

Chloe nodded and rubbed her hand over Max’s shoulder, pulling her closer. “You sure can. Mom and… David are out for their own night out, whoda thunk, huh?”

Max giggled as they changed direction, heading for the nearby bus stop. “Even my own parents are planning something for themselves later. They said they’re working until midnight, but… I don’t think that’s true.”

“Yeah, it kinda sounds like they’re gonna do the dirty-”

_“Chloe!”_

“Just sayin’!”

* * *

 

Chloe smiled as she unlocked the door to her house. Pushing over the door, she stood aside and held her hand forward, looking down at her girlfriend. “Welcome to thy humble abode,” she said and bowed slightly, eliciting a giggle from Max as she walked past her.

Max entered and immediately felt at home. Sure, she had never been here before, but she saw the decorations, pictures and art over the walls and it brought her back to 44 Cedar Avenue, Arcadia. Memories of a childhood spent in a similar house flooded her memory and she sighed quietly, rubbing her elbow with one hand.

“Earth to Max,” Chloe said as she pressed against her, shoving her forward gently. “C’mon, lemme show you around.”

Nodding, she allowed Chloe to take lead. They walked a full circle around the house - first the kitchen, then the living room, garage, their small backyard, the upstairs bathroom, Joyce and David’s room, the guest bedroom and… Chloe’s room. With each room came a small story from Chloe, explaining some obscure event or conversation she had with Joyce or David over the 3 months they’d lived here. It felt… unusual, but Chloe sounded happy; though a bit down when the conversation turned to Max’s coma.

“It’s not quite like my room in Arcadia, but…” Chloe said as she entered, leading Max inside. “I like it.”

Max looked around, immediately taking note of the various bottles, haphazardly thrown clothes and cigarette ashtrays placed around. She smirked and shook her head, not really surprised; the room screamed Chloe, even without the overabundance of punk posters and graffiti lining the walls. Perhaps Chloe did it on purpose - tried to forget the bad memories of Arcadia by creating a new style for herself: more messy but less expressive? Something like that.

“You’re right,” Max said and followed Chloe around, still looking, still exploring with her eyes - trying to find the subtlest of hints as to what Chloe had been doing in here for the past 4 months. “It’s different, but I love it.”

Chloe smiled, turning on her HiFi as she turned around and wrapped her arms around Max, swaying them gently. “Really?” she asked, somewhat unsure; perhaps insecure. Though… was Max’s approval of her room _really_ that important? _Probably,_ she thought.

“Yeah.” Max nodded and stood on her tiptoes, kissing Chloe’s nose. “Love it, just like I love you.”

“Groooooooooan.” Chloe rolled her head and laughed. She should’ve expected Max to become sappy immediately. She missed it though. She really did.

Max took the liberty to drag the two of them towards the mattress, flopping down and pulling Chloe with her. They settled on the sheets and the pillows, cuddling as they pushed all the way up to the wall and lined up the pillows so they could sit. Max found her burrow in the nook of Chloe’s neck, and she in turn nosed herself up in Max’s hair; breathing quietly, smiling against her chestnut strands as she went over the day herself. Looks like it was a success.

So they lay there for a few minutes. Quietly, they shuffled positions once or twice, got more comfortable, cuddled closer. They enjoyed it - the peace and quiet, coupled with the intimacy of cuddling. It was enough.

Eventually, Max felt a bit… adventurous. She’d mulled the idea over in her head, over and over, and constantly kept thinking back to that night at the cabin; her first time with Chloe. She remembered it well, blushing slightly as she brought up surprisingly accurate details of the encounter. She remembered the morning after, Chloe’s words and her quiet breakdown. There was a nagging at the back of her mind, quiet guilt eating away.

So she jumped, took the leap of faith. Max had her first time with Chloe, but Chloe didn’t have her first time with Max yet. So… she needed to change that.

“Hey?” Chloe asked quietly as Max suddenly began leaving soft kisses over her neck. “Getting comfy, huh?” she joked.

Max hummed and continued. She lightly bit, sucked and then licked; leaving a nice hickey just above Chloe’s collarbone. Her girlfriend gasped at that, somewhat surprised at Max’s actions, but she didn’t stop her. In fact, she loosened her grip on Max slightly and - to no surprise - she saw as the girl shuffled over her.

“What’s up?” she questioned, watching as Max sat up whilst straddling her. She felt her hands softly press down on her abdomen, almost causing Chloe to shiver at the cold sensation.

“Just…” Max began and trailed off. She closed her eyes in thought, tried to find the right words, tried to find a way to explain to Chloe that she wanted to… well…

“Max?”

“Chloe, remember the cabin?” she blurted out, looking down at her girlfriend.

“I… y-yeah, of course I do,” Chloe replied. A part of her, a part that was pushed to the back of her mind for the longest time, somewhat anticipated Max’s next few words. “Why?”

“I… Chloe, I just… want to… well… y’know,” she mumbled out and looked ahead at the wall, unable to meet Chloe’s eyes. God, why was she such a wuss sometimes? She was an adult, she wanted to talk about these things clearly but… her anxiety didn’t help. _Ugh,_ she huffed mentally.

“Oh.” Chloe became frigid momentarily. However, she smiled after the brief moment and drifted her hands up to Max’s thighs, placing them over hers - giving them a squeeze. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Max raised her eyebrows. Was Chloe agreeing to this? She didn’t understand.

“Yeah, I… I want to, too.” Chloe blushed. For all her sass and bravado, she was as lost in a moment like this as Max.

“Oh,” Max whispered and bit her lip. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and giggled. “God, why is this so hard?”

Chloe burst out in laughter. “That’s what she said!”

Max groaned and fell down on top of her, burying her face in Chloe’s shoulder. “God, I swear…”

They lay there laughing and giggling for a few minutes, trying to stop. Chloe was the first, though when she looked up at Max, she snorted and burst out in laughter again. Max followed, unable to stop, and simply gave up - dropping back down on top of Chloe. Neither of them wanted to moment to end; they were having too much fun just being idiots together. Max loved it, but so did Chloe.

“So…” Max eventually said when they finally managed to stop. Tracing her fingers underneath Chloe’s tank, she flashed a coy - slightly nervous - smile down at her.

“Max-”

Before Chloe was able to finish off her sentence, her lips were enveloped my Max’s and they were kissing. She found her hands grasped by Max’s, their fingers intertwined as she insisted to put Chloe’s arms above her head; keep her restrained. She liked this, she couldn’t lie, and was simply stunned by Max’s sudden change of pace and burst of courage.

So they kissed, and rolled around, and at one point their clothes came off and Chloe was whimpering and writhing underneath the careful touch of Max, gently guiding her at times, encouraging her to take her own risks when applicable.

It felt like heaven.

* * *

 

David shrugged off his coat as they entered the house, immediately helping his wife with her own outfit. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, he smiled. They had a successful night out, some alone time between the two of them where they were able to discuss both their relationship and also their future.

“Honey-”

_“Max~”_

Joyce froze. David froze too, though his gaze was already locked on the stairs. Was that Chloe? Was she-

_“Fuck! Yes~”_

“Unbelievable,” David said, his voice gruff as he took steps towards the staircase in an instant. Whatever the hell was going on up there, he was about to put an end to it.

“David,” Joyce said and grabbed his forearm. When their eyes met, she shook her head. “Leave them.”

“Them?” he asked in confusion. Then he realised. “Oh. Oh!”

Looking up at the staircase again, he nodded and turned back towards the living room instead. Joyce led them to the couch, sat them down and turned on the TV - purposefully making it loud enough to drown out the sounds.

They managed to ignore the most of it, though it was awkward at times.

* * *

 

After it was all over, Chloe lay on her bed - body haphazardly covered in her blanket and her arms splayed out above her. She focused on the ceiling, breathing quietly - sometimes unsteadily - as she tried to recover from the last hour or so. It was something else - thrilling, definitely fulfilling to a point. It’d been a long since she… well, had sex, to put it bluntly.

In the background, she heard some tune playing from her HiFi, having turned it on just before things got… handsy? With some concentration, she recognised the song as **Kid Cudi’s - Pursuit of Happiness.** She bobbed her head along to the beat.

Max was cuddled up to her, chin on her chest as her finger absently traced a pattern over her tattooed arm. She smiled, biting her lip slightly as she was proud of herself for not only engaging the act, but also for making Chloe incredibly happy by the end.

“That was… wow,” Chloe breathed out, looking down her chest towards her girlfriend. She brought one hand down and stroked through her hair gently, nails scraping against her scalp. Max almost purred at that.

“Mhm,” she hummed in reply, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of Chloe’s fingers in her hair. “Did I do good?” she asked.

Chloe laughed and nodded, pulling Max up so they were face to face. Giving her a kiss, she spoke, “You did amazing. Thank you.”

“I just thought… that, y’know, you never… really like… y’know,” Max mumbled. She kicked herself mentally for once again becoming an incoherent mess of words. With a bit of courage, she said, “Well, you never had your time with me back during our trip and… I felt kinda guilty so… and the coma didn’t help, so… yeah?”

Again laughing in response, Chloe gave her a kiss. “That’s fine,” she murmured against her lips and placed their foreheads together. “I could have waited however long you needed. But… I’m glad we did this.”

“Yeah,” Max replied in a whisper. “I’m glad too,” she continued before giving Chloe a wide smirk. “You taste good.”

Chloe stared at her for a second then burst out in laughter again. “Damnit Caulfield,” she said as she wiped away some happy tears, “you’re real smooth, y’know that?”

Max giggled at the obvious sarcasm. “That goes both ways, I guess.”

They lay there, cuddling and whispering, exchanging glances and curious touches. They giggled a bit, resumed their whispers, kissed for a while. It was relaxing for them both, something they both needed after everything. No matter how long all those events happened, the storm, their fights, the crash… it was always nice to just take a break from it and have each other.

“I should probably get back home,” Max murmured as she stroked her thumb over Chloe’s cheek gently. “Need a shower,” she yawned, “and maybe some sleep? God - that was really tiring.”

“What can I say, I’m hard to please,” Chloe teased and laughed along with Max.

“That you are,” Max whispered and gave her a gentle kiss.

“Stay over,” Chloe suddenly burst out. It was a kinda last second thought, but last second thoughts were very Chloe Price-esque. “For today. Please?”

Max opened her mouth to reply but was somewhat lost for words. It was a nice idea, sleep with Chloe again, but… her parents probably wouldn’t approve. Perhaps only her mother, Vanessa. Ryan might be okay with it.

“I don’t know,” she replied and looked away. “I still haven’t talked to mom and-”

“Fuck your mom,” Chloe interrupted and scoffed. “She’s a bitch.”

“Chloe,” Max sternly said. “Don’t say that. My mom… she’s still like… not sure about things. I dunno.”

Chloe sighed. She closed her eyes, nosed herself up in Max’s hair again and nodded. “Sucks. I just want us to have our own place already.”

Max rolled her eyes. “Chloe, we already spoke about this-”

“I know, I know!” she exclaimed and rolled to the side, looking back up at the ceiling. “I just want us to have our own place though. Where like… y’know. We can cuddle and shit?”

“We can cuddle and shit?” Max repeated, amused.

“Amongst… less appropriate things,” she added, grinning.

Max groaned and shuffled over towards Chloe again. Dropping her chin on her chest, she lost herself in thought; going over Chloe’s idea. Perhaps she should stay over, just say fuck it? She was 18, but doing it might’ve strained her already strained relationship with her parents. Still… _Ugh,_ she thought, _this is hard._

Eventually though, she reached her conclusion.

“Sure,” she whispered and kissed Chloe’s cheek. “I’ll stay.”

“Forreals?” Chloe asked, eyes wide open and her mouth curling into a victorious smile. “Forrrrrrrreaaalls?”

Max giggled and nodded. “Yes, forreals Chloe.”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!” Chloe exclaimed and threw up both her arms. “Victory!”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You love it though,” Chloe pointed out and wiggled her eyebrows. Hugging Max, she brought her as close as possible and kissed her forehead, going as far as exaggerating it with a “Mwah!” sound.

“Uhm. What about Joyce and David though?” Max asked after her short giggle bout subsided.

“Oh, don’t worry about them. I dunno when they get back but they never check my room, so… I’ll just sneak you out in the mornin’ or something.” Chloe shrugged and looked at her door. “If anything, I’ll just… come out with you, I guess.”

“That’ll raise some eyebrows,” Max said and formed an amused smirk. “Not a word to them about me and suddenly I’m walking out of your room, my hair all ragged and my neck covered in hickeys?”

“Ehhhh.” Chloe had to admit that it would raise some eyebrows, but... whatever. She needed to tell them sometime, what better time than the day after Valentines? “Whatevs.”

Max shook her head and nuzzled her cheek up against Chloe’s neck again. “Love you,” she whispered before she closed her eyes.

“Love you too, Maximo.”

Then, after both their tiring escapade and the conversation that followed suit, they fell asleep peacefully - cuddling together on Chloe’s mattress, just barely covered by her sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _ahem_
> 
>  
> 
> Hi?
> 
> Haha, not sure what to write here to be honest. This is my first fic that I've ever published and... well, I had abandoned it a few months ago because I was frankly bored of it. I published ALOT of new stuff over the months since then, including a complete story equal in length to this, and have since improved. BUT recently I'd been getting the vibe to go back to it, rewrite parts, improve others - do general cleaning before I publish chapters. I _didn't_ do that _yet_ , but I have published a new chapter?
> 
> So basically... I went over this story and felt the need to wrap it up. But I have sooooo much stuff I want to do, that I think I'm gonna take it nice and slow - release a chapter a month or so, maybe more frequently, not sure yet. I've gone over my storyboard/planning for this, and made a few changes to streamline the story so I can finish it in an okay timeframe.
> 
> A few people have encouraged me to do this, and I kinda feel bad for leaving it like that without much explanation, so here we are. Some of you may have noticed that the difference in writing between CH15 and CH16 are probably big (also some of you may spot exactly when I left the story and when I picked it up recently in this same chapter, hehe), though I'm not sure really. My writing style has really changed since I last updated this and that was kinda the biggest reason why I _didn't_ want to finish this, because I was afraid it'd look wonky and wrong.
> 
> So I guess you can expect this fic to come back - I'm gonna do a lot of editing in the coming days/weeks to improve the past chapters, though I won't change the story at all. Mostly I'll focus on punctuation, grammar errors, spelling errors and general formatting. Feel free to read through again after I'm done, haha.
> 
> Anyway... hopefully you enjoyed that? Chapter kinda got out of control and I ended at 8k words or so, whoops - needa get back into the swing of things for this story. As always, I love reading reviews and comments, so feel free to leave some - no matter how big or small it may be!
> 
> \- :) WinTTY


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